


What Lies Ahead: Outset

by 127ghouls



Series: What Lies Ahead [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Action, Blood and Gore, Cigarette Addiction, Crime AU, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mafia AU, Murder, Mutual Masturbation, Sexual Tension, Torture, anger issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 03:06:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17092886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/127ghouls/pseuds/127ghouls
Summary: In the world of mafia, there are no other ways to survive but to eliminate whatever blocks you from the sweetest victory.Jaehyun had expected it to be one hell of a mess but with the enigmatic knife thrower around, he's certain that it's going to be a lot worse than that.





	What Lies Ahead: Outset

**Author's Note:**

> when I started this, all of the ideas are jumbled and there was no concrete direction to it dkasd I just wrote and wrote expecting it to end at 10-15k but here it is at 30k and i'm not sorry, just tired
> 
> PS. This will be pretty dark. Please exit now if you can't take it. I don't want to be hated after jdjssjsj

Jaehyun’s eyes roam the entirety of the inside of the elevator, taking in that there are five other men dressed in crisp, black suit with him. The floor number flashes right above the silver, metal doors, blaring red as it nears the floor where all of them will finally meet the Kingpin of the organization.

He wonders momentarily if the Kingpin’s an old, graying man teetering on the edge of life and death hence the need to recruit more members, probably to secure the organization’s longstanding safety. It’s only natural, he supposes. In the mafia world, one has to fight to stay alive and make sure that they’re on top of the chain.

Jaehyun surreptitiously glances at the men around him. All of them are officially going to be the new members of _Red Phoenix_ in a few minutes, labeled Gold. In the organization, members are categorized in different levels depending on their skills. They must have been pretty impressive during the exhibition to accelerate three steps from the bottom. The highest is Diamond, and only a few names are in there.

The thought of landing on the Gold category makes him feel so smug, so proud of himself. He had worked hard for this. With him previously belonging in Red Phoenix’s subgroup _Invictus_ as a shooter under the leadership of his father, he was initially regarded as someone who climbed into his current position through connections, which is _utter_ nonsense because one, his father was against him risking his life in this profession in the first place, and two, he has a strong sense of independence. Relying on someone else isn’t in his dictionary. If Jaehyun lives, he lives through no one’s help.

And he’s here in Red Phoenix because he had proved himself worthy; he’s outstanding.

The elevator dings and they all stride out into an office right at the end of the floor. The guard dressed in the same suit presses a button to his Bluetooth earpiece to inform the other line of the arrival of recruits before asking them to press their palms right on the scanner by the door. After their identities are cleared, they waste no time in entering and taking their seats at the round table.

The interior design of the headquarters doesn’t look much different from Invictus. A screen that fills up the entire wall switches on to reveal a man looking expensive, untouchable and youthful despite the crow’s feet on the corners of his eyes. His hair is jet black, gelled and brushed back to expose his forehead. He looks like he’s in his 50s. If the wristwatch embedded with little diamond stones says something about the man’s wealth, Jaehyun would wager that this is their Kingpin and he’s wrong about one thing: the Kingpin isn’t dying and they most likely just want to strengthen their organization, to assert their dominance.

“I suppose you’re already oriented about me, Gold cards. I apologize for not allowing photos of me to be divulged, but I trust that you know the protocol and you respect it, do you not?” _Lee Namgyu_ smiles as though he’s trying not to scare them. Jaehyun mentally snorts. They’re not about to let someone – even the most powerful in this organization to treat them like kindergartens. But he appreciates the fatherly aura emanating from the man and it’s so palpable that it passes right through the screen. He’s sure the others feel it too.

“Excellent,” He praises although there was no indication of a response from them. The room is deafeningly silent, saved by the Kingpin’s rough yet calming tone. “Let’s get right into business without further ado, gentlemen. As you already know, _Dragonaire_ is threatening to kick us off our own market. Bold of them to assume we’ll let them right into our world, to harvest the seeds we have planted for years. Gambling, smuggling, trafficking, it’s ours. Red Phoenix had been raking millions out of these kinds of business. This is ours. We are not going to let a third-rate mafia damage our fences, are we?”

“If Dragonaire’s as weak as you’re saying, why did Red Phoenix have to look for new men? Are the existing ones not enough? Or is it merely due to the number in Dragonaire?” Jaehyun taps his fingers in a steady beat against the table, grating on the nerves of the other men in the room. “They’re not as harmless as we think they are, perhaps?”

Silence occupies the office for a few seconds before Namgyu grins in approval, pointing at Jaehyun as though he knew they picked the right guy. And Jaehyun’s going to show them just that. “Perfect. I don’t want anyone of you to be complacent. Dragonaire may be a small time business compared to us, but they’re known for scouting unidentified men. They’re eager to outnumber us when it comes to combat. We have the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond cards but not everyone is fit to fight. A portion of us, as you already know is assigned for medics, some for intelligence, and some for the internal and external operations while the remaining is for fighting when the situation calls for it. Dragonaire doesn’t care about stuff like this. They don’t pay respect when it’s due, so they’re blatantly coming for us – for you. It’s funny, don’t you think?” Namgyu slouches back, relaxing in his leather seat with a slight shrug. “Half of these organizations wouldn’t be where they are if it wasn’t for us. So I need you. Red Phoenix needs you to remind them where they belong. Understood?”

They respond in unison, assuring the Kingpin of their dedication and loyalty to the group. Namgyu waves a dismissive hand. “Alright. You’ve been briefed enough for this. I believe you have to be familiar with everyone now. When I call for a meeting, it’s going to be through my assistant, Moon Taeil. You may go.”

 

0o0o0

 

“Hey! Hello there!”

Jaehyun whips around to follow the chirpy voice of whoever’s calling for him. He raises a brow at the sight of a widely grinning man taller than him by a few centimeters, four at most. He takes out his hand from his pocket and begrudgingly holds the other’s offered one to shake. _Are some of them really being friendly now?_

“I’m Johnny! You’re one of the new recruits, right? I see you’re a Golden boy. Must be nice!” Johnny lets go of his hand and fishes out a card from his jeans’ pocket, showing a Silver card. For someone who works for Red Phoenix, he dresses quite carelessly. Or maybe Jaehyun’s just overdressed?

The other man senses his internal assessment and chuckles, shyly scratching the back of his head. “Well, I’ve been here for a year so I’m feeling quite at home. They don’t really care, you know. Especially if you aren’t one of the elites.”

“Elites?”

Johnny rolls his eyes and gestures for Jaehyun to follow, which the other wordlessly does. He’s still a bit confused with the turns and curves of the building, and he’s familiarizing himself with the members anyway. “Let’s talk about that later. For now let’s get some food, yeah? It’s almost one!”

Johnny’s friendliness and too bright of a smile peeve him a little. He’s taught not to be too trusting in this kind of profession, and he’s gotten used to the gloomy and standoff presence of Invictus members that Johnny’s easygoing personality’s kind of a culture shock.

They fall into a casual conversation on the way to the cafeteria. Johnny blabbers about the names of people he claims Jaehyun needs to meet but Jaehyun’s mind floats somewhere else, more specifically to the meeting earlier. Beating Dragonaire and putting them to their place won’t be difficult. They just need to strategize, like they’re expected to.

A loud cacophony of noises welcomes them when they set foot in the dining area. It seems like these dangerous men forget their line of work and the remnants of blood that were shed in their hands when it’s break time. The scene unfolding in front of him humanizes every single one of them at the moment, reminding Jaehyun that these people are nothing but human albeit predatory. At the end of the day, they’re all just doing their job to survive.

“Boys,” Johnny’s voice breaks his trance. Jaehyun stops by a table with several men sharing Johnny’s fashion, except for one with thick-rimmed eyeglasses perched on his nose – this one is in a suit just like Jaehyun’s. He resembles a bunny when he chews his food like that–rapid and his cheeks are quite bouncy. They all look at the tall man before their eyes simultaneously land on Jaehyun, acknowledging his presence. “This is the new Golden boy! His name’s Jaehyun. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the other recruits but this one looks good enough for the squad, doesn’t he?”

Confusion writes itself on Jaehyun’s features, allowing Johnny to elaborate. “Oh, that only means you’re our friend now! Guys, say hi…”

“Doyoung here. Intelligence. Gold card.” The bunny look-alike says. So he’s as good as Jaehyun, only in a different field.

“I’m Yuta! Silver.” The guy with a chiseled jaw and hair falling over his forehead introduces himself next. Before Jaehyun could ask what he does, the obviously Japanese man speaks again. “What I do is what you do, just one level lower since I haven’t been here for a long time.”

“How certain are you that I would be a gunman?”

Yuta picks at the food stuck in his teeth before flicking it to Doyoung’s direction who wails in disgust. “The way you hold yourself. The way you stand, the way you’re posed. Everything I’ve calculated tells me that you’re always on edge, ready to aim. Relax, Jaehyun. We don’t have any mission yet, do we? Unless you plan on busting our brains right here.” Yuta grins, taunting. Jaehyun decides he already likes Yuta just because of his deduction skills.

“I’ll only do that if you pose a threat. From the looks of it, I don’t need to do that anytime soon. Nice too meet you, Yuta.”

Johnny leaves to get his own food, and Jaehyun vaguely hears about the other saying he’ll also get him some. He takes a seat then, supposing he can drop his guard for a while. He looks at the last guy on the table and muses that this one’s certainly a foreigner too.

“Chinese?”

“Yeah. You can call me Winwin. Arsonist, Gold.”

He nods in content. At least he’s not the only one on a higher category in his…new circle of friends. Suddenly wondering about Johnny’s line of work, Jaehyun opens his mouth only to be shut close as soon as Johnny comes back with a tray of food.

“I got you some sandwich and uh, banana milk? Do you like fruits?”

“Who wouldn’t like fruits?” Jaehyun mutters his gratitude to the other before wolfing down his sandwich. He didn’t even realize he’s _that_ hungry, completely forgetting that he skipped breakfast in lieu of getting to the HQ early. The whole table shares a knowing look before Johnny sighs, shaking his head.

“Well, this guy called Ten-“

“That’s his boyfriend, by the way. Ten’s a nurse.” Winwin interjects.

Johnny gesticulates, mumbling something about not being official before continuing. “As I was saying, Ten hates fruits. I don’t know his deal, but he said fruits are scary.”

“That bitch’s hallucinating, sniffing those chemicals all day in the clinic.” The Japanese man says, receiving a chunk of sandwich from Johnny’s lunch, accurately hitting him right on the eye.

“Fuck! That hurt!”

“Don’t call him that!”

Yuta grumbles, cleaning off his face with a tissue. “So much for not caring…”

As oddly entertaining the scene is, there’s a more pressing matter at hand that Jaehyun has to know. “So what do you do? You didn’t tell me.”

“Oh? I work the explosives.”

Huh. So Johnny’s not as harmless as he initially thought. _Why are we not all Gold card holders? Johnny and Yuta sound like they’re up to par._

The noise ringing inside the cafeteria soon dies down. Jaehyun notices how Yuta’s mouth curves downward in distaste, while the rest of them decide that the chatter’s over. The air in the cafeteria takes a turn to the south, dropping drastically for some reason.

“Uh..?”

There’s a gentle nudge on his side. Johnny’s eyes travel to the direction of the entryway, silently telling him to look at the answer.

Jaehyun turns. A guy dressed in all black from head to toe has entered, stopping in front of the vending machine at the corner. His shoulders are hunched and the hood of his jacket sits on his head, preventing Jaehyun from seeing the face of the newcomer. Jaehyun watches intently, observing. The nameless guy inserts a few coins and waits as the machine rumbles before picking up the chocolate bar he bought. His eyes do not leave the figure as it finds its seat to the table beside theirs, where no one occupies.

From everyone’s reaction, it’s safe to think that this guy’s dislikable. _Probably attitude problems._ Jaehyun continues to watch as the man unwraps his chocolate and bites a significantly big chunk, noisily munching on it. The annoying sounds of wet chewing crawl under his skin, and Jaehyun wants to get out of his seat to inform the man of his gross habit.

Johnny’s breath hits his ear unpleasantly as he whispers furtively to Jaehyun. “That’s Lee Taeyong. Knife thrower. Has a sick penchant for torture. Boss lets him do his work as long as he doesn’t kill. Besides, we only resort to torture to get some primary information. Heard he got anger management classes. You’ll know soon enough why that rumor goes around here. That guy’s no good, so stay out of his way as much as you can.”

Even as Johnny finishes introducing Lee Taeyong to him, Jaehyun still doesn’t take his eyes off of the other. It’s clear that he has to stir out of this man’s way, but Jaehyun finds himself getting pulled by an invisible force instead. Lee Taeyong’s an interesting enigma, based on what Jaehyun was told as well as the fact that only his presence manages to make Red Phoenix members cower.

Lee Taeyong stops chewing. He doesn’t move for possibly half a minute; his legs are perched on the seat opposite his, one hand stuck in a pocket while the other holding the chocolate remains immobile. His head is down, face blocked from anyone’s view. Jaehyun starts to think that maybe the man’s suffering from petit mal seizure, worse shock, though he’s uncertain of triggers before Lee Taeyong’s head cocks up and striking blue eyes meet his own.

Jaehyun’s heart rate speeds up. It drums loudly against his ribcage, almost feeling like it wants to escape out of imprisonment. Taeyong’s eyes hold his, unblinking, sucking him in. He feels like he’s being scrutinized, bare and defenseless. But even though, Jaehyun can’t find the urge to look away, to break the eye contact. So he holds it as long as he can, resisting the strong will to close his eyes as they slowly start to dry.

A loud gasp spills out of his lips when something happens, causing Lee Taeyong to sever the connection of their eyes. A man, Bronze card holder judging from the rectangle peeking out of his pocket shakes likes a leaf as he stands next to the mysterious blue-eyed. Jaehyun soon realizes that the poor guy had accidentally spilled his juice on Taeyong’s sleeve, drenching the fabric with the sticky drink. The man lets out a string of apology, sounding like he’s close to breaking down.

“We should go…” Winwin mumbles.

Jaehyun raises a hand, stopping any of them from standing. “No, I wanna see what happens next.”

Much to his delight, Lee Taeyong automatically confirms the rumor that Johnny had shared as he strikes out of his seat and curls his arm around the man’s neck before slamming him down the table, face down. Jaehyun hears the unmistakable sound of bone cracking, wincing at the ugly sight. The man’s face bleeds due to his broken nose and busted lip while Lee Taeyong nonchalantly picks up his discarded chocolate and disposes it in the trash bin before exiting the cafeteria.

As soon as Taeyong’s gone, the place erupts in chaos as someone calls for medic while the others check the now unconscious recipient of Taeyong’s wrath. Johnny releases a shaky sigh and shakes his head, fingers brushing through his hair. “That was so uncalled for, but that’s nothing new. It’s just Edogawa’s unlucky day.”

Johnny taps Jaehyun’s shoulder and tells him that he’s in the mood to give the Gold card a quick tour of the HQ.

As they round the hall and Jaehyun lets the boys discuss where they should go first, he thinks about the second Lee Taeyong’s hood falls off and reveals his caramel tresses. The long tail of his hair seemingly like an overgrown mullet cascades down his midriff. Jaehyun is reminded of those Chinese warriors in fantasy shoujo mangas he had read when he was younger. He lets himself wonder if Taeyong’s a foreigner because of the color of his eyes, but he keeps his mouth shut. Lee Taeyong doesn’t look like a topic his newfound friends would want to talk about.

0o0o0

His alarm clock rings, forcing him out of a dreamless sleep. Jaehyun gets up with a grunt, annoyed to have been woken up at a harsh hour. Though he supposes it’s his own fault that he doesn’t want to miss a day of workout, and using the gym at 5 in the morning is only logical if he doesn’t want a bunch of perspiring men surrounding him.

Dressed in a pair of comfortable shirt and shorts and some running shoes he immediately stalks off to where the gym is located. A grin splits his face in half as he confirms the lack of people in there before going over to the lockers to stuff his bag inside. Jaehyun quickly warms up his muscles, deciding that he’ll be using the treadmill first.

To say that he’s startled at the sight of Lee Taeyong using one of the treadmills is a complete understatement. Jaehyun finds himself rooted on the spot, openly watching the other do his runs in a sleeveless shirt and track pants, all black except for his white shoes. His caramel hair is untied, with strands sticking to sweaty parts of his skin. With a closer look compared to yesterday, his hair doesn’t actually reach his midriff, but just a little past his chest. He also has piercings on his left ear and… _is that a cigarette?_ Nevertheless he still looks too pretty for a man, and Jaehyun quite literally pushes himself forward to do his exercise, four treadmills away from Lee Taeyong.

No one talks. It seems like Taeyong is unaware of his presence with how loud the music blasts from his headphones. Jaehyun doesn’t know the song – it sounds like some heavy metal, and he’s not about to judge Taeyong’s gym playlist. If it pumps him up, then so be it.

Jaehyun plugs his earphones in and shuffles a random playlist. He sets the speed of the treadmill, content of the pace. He tries not to let his eyes wander somewhere else; particularly on the unexpected gym buddy he’s yet to hear talking. The sound of his annoying chewing doesn’t count. Jaehyun’s nose scrunches at the memory. He can still hear it through Queen Bey’s Crazy in Love, making him turn up the volume.

When the itch to look at a certain someone gets unbelievably strong, Jaehyun closes his eyes to get lost in the music instead, hoping that the need dies down soon. Usually, he doesn’t stay for longer than 15 minutes on a treadmill, opting to try another set of equipment to work on his arm muscles but for today, he doesn’t mind the time. He feels the telltale sign of cramps when he passes the 25 minute-mark and reluctantly slows down, eventually stepping off the treadmill.

A warm body bumps against his and Jaehyun turns around to face a stoic Lee Taeyong. He tears off his earphones.

“I’m so-“

“Jung Jaehyun, Gold card? Invictus?” Taeyong apathetically says, lacking of emotions.

Jaehyun stares calculatingly. “It sounds like you already checked my profile.”

Taeyong doesn’t speak right away. He doesn’t move out of Jaehyun’s way either, choosing to glance down the new recruit’s lower region, making Jaehyun uncomfortable. “What-“

“It’s number one rule in Red Phoenix to bring your card all the time, wherever you are. You’re already being too careless, aren’t you?” Taeyong’s hands suddenly pat Jaehyun’s body like an officer checking for contrabands. Jaehyun protests, pushing at Taeyong but the other’s insistent. Taeyong only stops when it’s guaranteed there’s nothing in Jaehyun’s clothes aside from the phone in his pocket.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jaehyun grouches, feeling harassed. There’s nothing much on Taeyong’s face that gives away whatever’s running in his head but from what just happened, Jaehyun thinks he doesn’t really want to know.

A smirk curls on Taeyong’s lips, the first ever solid expression Jaehyun saw in him. Despite how attractive it looks on the other, Jaehyun is still shaken up from the unwarranted touching and is a second away from socking Taeyong’s jaw, consequences be damned.

“Good to know you think the way they do – that something’s wrong with me just because I’m taking extra measures to be careful. They’ve told you about me already, hm? Even better. At least you got a heads up.” Taeyong runs his hand through his hair and the strands fall gently over his eyes, blocking the blue circles. “Nice meeting you, Jaehyun. I hope we don’t butt heads in the future. I don’t really want to ruin that kind of face.”

The caramel-head is already walking away when Jaehyun remembers he still doesn’t know one thing about the knife thrower. “Wait!”

He doesn’t expect Taeyong to give him a chance, but he did. He stops in his tracks but doesn’t turn around.

“Uh, if you don’t mind - what’s your card?”

Taeyong looks at him then, eyes sparkling in mischief. He pulls out both hands from his pockets and only shows Jaehyun his phone and nothing else. Jaehyun’s pissed off. How dare he preach Jaehyun the rule of Red Phoenix while being a hypocrite at the same time?

“Don’t get infuriated now, dimple boy. I don’t have a card. Kingpin knew I’m too good for his lame ass brands.”

0o0o0

The firing range of the HQ’s vast enough for all their gunmen to utilize, placed in the 8th floor of the palatial building. Jaehyun grips the Taurus Millenium pro .45, grasping its weight between his hands before aiming at the dummy target, the bullet piercing right between the eyes. His fellow Red Phoenix shooters are practicing as well, with Yuta occupying the next booth.

Jaehyun haphazardly tosses the gun down the mini table with a clatter when he runs out of bullets, removing his ear muffs before sitting down the bench for a rest. Yuta soon follows, nursing himself with a bottle of water that Jaehyun rejects after the Japanese offered. Yuta, Jaehyun learns, is really unhygienic.

“Those were good shots,” Praises Yuta, crushing the empty plastic bottle in his hand before disposing it. “I could use a trick or two from you.”

“I don’t really have much trick up my sleeves. Look at them,” Jaehyun straightens, head cocking to the shooters in the booths. “They’re stiff. Awkward stance. Crooked angle of the arms. When you spot your target, let go off the jitters, alright? Don’t question, don’t think. Just shoot. When you think too much, you miss it. I’m sure you know the basics to disarm the enemy, correct?”

“Mhm. The hand so they drop the gun, the kneecap so they fall to the ground, the head, right on the heart. Just the few of them. And it buys you more time to take advantage of the situation.”

“Good. I hope they promote you into Gold.” Jaehyun pats Yuta’s shoulder with a small smile. They watch the others in comfortable silence shortly, not really having anything to talk about. Yuta pulls out his phone and frowns at a message.

“Whose is that from?”

“Ten. Oh right, we haven’t added you in the group chat yet. I’ll do it- there, done. He said he wants to meet you and it’s his only free time for today. Huh, don’t you think 3’s too late for lunch? It’s not like he has regular patients. I swear that guy’s a little loose in the head. Don’t tell Johnny.” Yuta gets up, pocketing his phone and heading straight to the doors, clearly expecting Jaehyun to tail him.

Jaehyun chuckles. “Are they sure it’s just casual sex?”

“They’re sure they’re just lying to themselves at this point. They’re practically married, it’s sickening.”

The duo gets in an elevator and Yuta presses button 2. “It’s fine, though. I guess. We don’t really get out of the HQ unless there’s a mission so people just get together here. Casual, serious, all kinds. Body language, stolen glances talk. Doyoung caught the two making out in the janitor’s closet acting like teenagers-“ Yuta’s rambling gets cut off with Jaehyun’s boisterous laughter, and his own mouth twitches. “-so yeah, whenever Ten’s around, Johnny’s automatically stuck to the dwarf’s side. They have these heart eyes, you know. They suck at hiding, but they’re stubborn and won’t admit it. We’re starting to think it’s a kink.”

“That sounds amusing,” Jaehyun nods, following Yuta out of the elevator when the doors open. “What about you? Anyone you’re dating, or whatever?”

Yuta grumbles. “I don’t have time for that. 90% of Red Phoenix is men and sadly, I’m straight.”

“Well, there’s the 10%?” They’re already nearing the clinic and Jaehyun can see that the others are already inside and that there’s a sign hanging on the doors saying ‘break time’. If someone gets injured, Ten has no other choice but to cut the break short, doesn’t he?

“Right. But that 10% ain’t nothing if they’re all over that blue-eyed freak. Lee Taeyong’s crazy, okay, but he’s also too fucking handsome, even pretty that there’s scarcity of women for the other hopefuls in this goddamn place,” Yuta slides the door open, closing it after Jaehyun. “You know women. They like bad boys, those mysterious ones that don’t know how to talk.”

“What’s crackalackin’?” A short man dressed in white approaches them, eyeing Jaehyun. “You must be Jaehyun! I’m Ten! Diamond card.”

Jaehyun’s eyes bulge. “Diamond?”

“Is it really shocking? Apparently, I’m good enough with what I do. I also know how to use the gun for protection; you can say I can kill Yuta with what I can do. So Diamond. Fair enough, right?” Ten grins and beckons them to the receiving area. The rest of the squad is present.

“So what were you two talking about? Yuta’s nostrils were flaring.”

“I told Jaehyun that Taeyong steals all the girls in here. Before you ask what caused this conversation, I’m gonna tell you now. Somehow we ended up discussing yours and Johnny’s relationship.”

Ten glares at the Japanese and Yuta raises his hands in defense. “Well, he can’t be out of the loop if he’s joining us. Anyway, you’re all aware that the few women in here will do anything to get in the guy’s pants. Which sucks for me, because I only have my hand for the next ten years or so. That damn brat has to be grateful.”

“Calm your tits. It’s not like he entertains them?” Doyoung says more to himself than the others. Jaehyun’s brow piques in interest.

“What do you mean?” The Gold card shooter asks. It makes him feel normal again, like a gossiping high school student.

Doyoung squints at the laptop resting on his knees, typing. It’s probably overdue work. His multitasking skills are incredible, considering the demand of his job and his brain has enough space to deal with the childish gossip they’re currently having. “It’s safe to say that Lee Taeyong is asexual. Or gay. Or he just doesn’t think sex or romance is of any importance to him. Yuta looks away in resentment everytime a woman, particularly this Silver-rate co-worker of mine called Risa Uehara flirts with Lee Taeyong. If Yuta wasn’t bitter, he’d know that Taeyong pushes away anyone who dares breathe two feet close to him. And if Yuta wasn’t a coward, he’d be trying his chances with Uehara now.”

Winwin and Johnny fall into a heap of mess, laughing their lungs out as Yuta whines indignantly. Ten rolls his eyes and tugs Johnny back to his side, immediately seeking warmth.

Right. They’re more than casual.

“Taeyong doesn’t like anyone standing close to him?”

Doyoung closes his laptop and peers up at Jaehyun. “He doesn’t like people in general.”

“He touched me a few days ago.”

“What the fuck?!” Johnny exclaims, wide eyed. “You slept with him?!”

Jaehyun splutters, coughing. That was totally misunderstood. Yuta finally forgets the mistreatment against him at Jaehyun’s expense, highly amused at his pitiful hacking.

“Asshole- that’s not what I meant!” Jaehyun flashes a menacing glare and crosses his arms over his chest. “I went to the gym and he was there. He stared me down and out of the blue he started patting down my body looking for my card, apparently. Berated me for breaking the rule. Just so you know, I felt harassed. But get this- he said he doesn’t have a card?”

“He told you the truth. Lee Taeyong is stronger than a Diamond card. Or to put it precisely, he’s more dangerous than the enemy. He was scouted when he was a teenager, that’s roughly 7 years ago. He murdered two civilians in a club – causes unknown, bashed their skulls with a bottle until the flesh spurted all over. Coincidentally, an ally of ours was there and brought him to the boss, _miraculously_ convincing him that Lee Taeyong would be of use to us. He received therapy for his violent tendencies. Believe me, he’s actually tamed now. He still feels the desire to kill, that’s why boss allowed him to inflict pain on the enemies we take hostage for information, but he has limits. Lee Taeyong is what anyone would call insane but he’s valuable in Red Phoenix.” Doyoung finishes his monologue and goes back to work on his laptop, ignoring the look of utter disbelief on Jaehyun’s face.

“That’s… Are you allowed to disclose this confidential background?”

“I’m not, but if Taeyong discovers, he doesn’t usually give a fuck. He doesn’t seem to give a fuck about anything other than sweets. About that, don’t touch the chocolates in the vending machine. He rightfully claimed that. He’s also a chain smoker.”

“I don’t like sweets very much.”

“Good. Do you want to know anything else since you seem hell-bent in solving this puzzle called Lee Taeyong, Jaehyun?” Doyoung sends him a look that tells Jaehyun the other sees right through him. Johnny clears his throat and Jaehyun saves himself from the embarrassment by not looking at his other friends that are positively thinking the same about him.

“Err… Family?”

“So complete life story. I guess that’s only just since we’re at it already. But if you guys report me to Moon Taeil, I’ll bust your kneecaps.” Doyoung threatens as he types something and opens a folder. “There’s nothing much in here just that his mother is French and he has a sister. Alive. Whereabouts of his father is unknown. He’s originally from France.”

“That explains the eye color.” Jaehyun muses.

Doyoung nods. “He speaks Korean, English and French. He mastered the art of knife throwing at the age of six. His eccentric fascination with blades can be associated to this. He’s highly intelligent with an IQ of 220. He was in and out of school but taught himself by utilizing the public library. I can’t tell you about his mental health records. I’m sure that Ten understands. With this, you can undoubtedly agree that Lee Taeyong deserves his spot here in Red Phoenix. Any other concerns?”

“That’s amazing…” Johnny says in awe, a little dazed. “220, huh. If he was a normal citizen he’d totally get into the top universities.”

“But he’s not normal so let’s leave it at that.” Winwin gets up and stretches, yawning. “We can’t lounge in here, right?”

“Ah, yeah. You guys go. I don’t want any Red Phoenix men witnessing this impromptu gathering and think I’m not doing my job.”

“You don’t always have an injured patient, Ten-“

The short nurse shoos them out of the clinic. “Yes, Johnny but some people get fever, headache, stomachache, and the sorts. So scram! I’ll see you guys whenever.”

Jaehyun waves at Ten and sees the nurse disappear back into the clinic. He lags behind the group as they naturally come up with another thing to chat about before getting back to either training or work, but his mind lingers on _him._ Lee Taeyong is outright dangerous, cunning and if that one of the possibly many crimes he committed doesn’t make Jaehyun kill the budding attentiveness towards the blue-eyed, then he’s going to be in a lot of trouble.

He finds the thought stimulating. He’ll always love a challenge.

***

Right when things seem to start getting mundane in the HQ of Red Phoenix, right when Jaehyun starts questioning his purpose in the organization as he lies in bed one of those nights and entertains the idea of returning to Invictus, Moon Taeil suddenly alerts the participating members regarding the upcoming stakeout-and-bust mission. They were given five minutes to be a little presentable, sending Jaehyun frantically rummaging for decent clothes other than the boxers and muscle tee he’s wearing and to flatten his hair before he finds himself twenty three seconds late in the meeting room, Lee Namgyu regarding him with a look of disappointment as he takes his seat next to Winwin. He’s still a little bit out of it before realizing that the whole squad is in for the mission aside from three other people, two of them he remembers being the new recruits like him.

“I thought ten minutes was too long to rub sleep out of your eyes, boys. Jaehyun proved me wrong.”

Johnny almost springs out of his seat. “Taeil said we got five!”

The authoritative figure standing next to the Kingpin fixes his glasses and clears his throat before making a show of flipping through pages of a file to look busy. “That’s to teach you a lesson.”

“Anyway, to start the meeting,” Namgyu signals Taeil to start the slideshow. “This is Dragonaire’s headquarters. Its perimeter covers the same size as Invictus. Despite being third-rate, they excel in the area of combat. That is how they usually closes deals and completes transactions ㅡ through assault. As secure and advance Red Phoenix is, we cannot be complacent for we do not know how Dragonaire’s gears run at the moment. Thanks to our intel, Gold card Kim Doyoung traced the enemy’s recent computer activities and from the data we have obtained, it seems like Dragonaire’s about to come for one of our important business partners ㅡ  _Garnet.”_

Taeil changes the slide and steps back.

“Garnet handles the smuggled goods coming from Europe. Red Phoenix holds 34% of their stocks. It’s guaranteed that our trust in them will not be broken, but consider that Dragonaire still houses skilled members fully capable of stealing those numbers from us. What I want you to do isㅡ“

The door bangs open and Lee Taeyong drags himself to the available seat next to Jaehyun. Jaehyun suddenly feels the need to straighten and fix his clothes, ignoring Doyoung’s gaze.

“It’s better late than never, Lee Taeyong.” Namgyu huffs before whispering something to Taeil that the latter immediately writes down the clipboard.

While the Kingpin and his assistant talks almost inaudibly in front, the rest of the men in the room sit still, unmoving. Yuta’s face sours expectedly, Winwin absently stares at the table as Doyoung’s fingers work themselves on his laptop and Ten and Johnny pretend that no one else is in the room with how sticky they look at each other. He doesn’t even want to know what the other men are doing to live through the palpable awkward atmosphere.

Jaehyun’s shoulders sag. There’s no one available for him to boㅡ

“What did they say?”

Jaehyun looks to his side where Taeyong sucks on a lollipop noisily, twisting the candy around his lips. “Are you talking to me?”

“I’m not that mad to talk to the wall, dimple boy. Now answer me.”

“Uh,” Jaehyun clears his throat. “Dragonaire’s coming for Garnet, possibly to close a bigger deal and send Red Phoenix plunging down the market.”

Taeyong doesn’t say more. His blue eyes stare at the slide on the screen and Jaehyun’s glad for the lack of attention on him because he really can’t stop himself from admiring Taeyong’s hair, the overgrown mullet tied into a single braid. He really looks like those pretty warriors in maㅡ

“Jung Jaehyun. We’re in a meeting. We’re tackling Dragonaire, not our knife thrower.”

The Gold card shooter curses under his breath as his face erupts into bursts of flame from how hot it is ㅡ the heat radiates off of his skin and Jaehyun sinks down his seat, willing the ground to swallow him alive and take him away. He mentally applauds the other men for not reacting, not visibly at least, especially the object of his distraction.

“Continuing, what I need you to do is head to Dragonaire’s headquarters and observe. Note the men’s actions, conversations and where they enter and exit, the vehicles they use, and all other important aspect that you may pick up and deem useful in the future. Now that may sound too easy for such group to be sent there, but you are also there because this is the most pressing problem we have at the moment. We need a primary source as soon as possible. We will be spending the rest of the hour here brainstorming strategies and organizing our plan, so it will be executed accordingly. Remember,” Namgyu turns off the screen and leans against the table, both hands pressed on the surface as he looks each one of them in the eyes. “This can end up badly, but I want each and every one of my men alive. Red Phoenix is important, but the organization will not be where it stands today without all of you.”

This, right here, is what Jaehyun lives for. Red Phoenix will prove him that leaving Invictus was written in the stars all along.

***

The iron gates fencing the building of Dragonaire soar into the sky, allowing the tiniest possibility for anyone to infiltrate without resorting to burrowing through the sand. Jaehyun doublethinks its real standing in the black market with its 6 stories-high building, two annex parts each on its left and right sides. This big of an HQ houses several connections not lower than five, just like Invictus and if they’re classified third-rate, there are probably numerous holes in their operations, and allegedly mediocre dealings that their own members haven’t realized yet.

A puff of smoke clouds his vision, blocking him from viewing Dragonaire’s backdoors. Jaehyun heaves at the strong scent of cigarette and covers his mouth to prevent even the slightest sound from passing through.

“Can’t you fucking stop inhaling that cancer stick for a second, you nicotine dependent asshole?” Yuta spouts, glowering at Taeyong. Johnny, Ten, Winwin, and Doyoung remain in the van parked safely hidden from the area. The explosives will only go off in Jaehyun’s signal in case they would get cornered. Ten sits back with first aid ready in the vehicle and Doyoung will be the one to instruct them where it’s safe to go. The rest of their team serves as backup for desperate measures.

“Might consider it if you stop running that mouth, you loud sonnuva bitch.” Taeyong monotonously counters in _English_ , face perpetually blank before inhaling the cancer stick, blowing it to the Japanese’s direction just to spite Yuta.

A murderous glint flashes across the Silver card shooter’s eyes and Jaehyun harshly clamps a hand against Yuta’s mouth to keep him quiet. “This is not the time for banters,” Jaehyun cups the gun inside his suit and nods firmly. “Let’s get this. Doyoung had informed that the lock on the gates behind is open, so we can now slip inside. Try not to fucking fight, boys.”

With a grunt, Jaehyun leads the way with Taeyong and Yuta in tow. He glances at the now blocked CCTV at the corner, all thanks to Doyoung who makes sure they’ll enter and leave unscathed and quietly slips past the gates, wincing inwardly as the metal creaks from the push. Taeyong casually closes the gate as he enters and walks with an air of arrogance and carelessness in his gait, the cigarette long tossed on a pile of sand outside.

Jaehyun fleetingly wonders if Taeyong came ready in case a fight ensues, which is not impossible with the agenda they have for today because of his lack of weapons.

 _It’s most likely hidden in his clothes. He can save himself if they attack him_.

It instantly irritates him when he realizes that he’s worrying about Lee Taeyong’s welfare since he’s flawlessly briefed beforehand that the caramel-head’s the last one they should worry about in assignments like this.

 _He looks much too relaxed for_ _ㅡ_

“Hey!”

Barely dodging the bullet, Jaehyun turns to hide behind a wall. Yuta comes out of their cover and shoots, killing the Dragonaire guard with a bullet lodged in the chest. Jaehyun signals Yuta to move forward as a cover, their guns held in a practiced angle.

Running footsteps resonate in the floor and soon they face several enemies, all holding guns. Jaehyun shoots two of them in a blink of an eye, as Yuta lends a hand next to him. They’re positive that the whole building has been alerted of their presence and they will be corned if they don’t move quickly.

“Damn, can you believe we did that, just the two of us?” Yuta smirks. “So much for being greater than a Diamond card…”

Taeyong picks up a stray shell and lazily throws it in the air, catching it and repeating the action a few times as if he didn’t hear Yuta’s degrading jab. They take an emergency staircase down the nearest hallway just as more gunmen appear, missing a second to spot them.

Jaehyun presses at his earpiece. “Doyoung, can you see where the office is?”

_“I see you’re on the third floor. Main room is just above you. Can’t guarantee that our man’s in there. Be quick.”_

Shouts come from behind them. Jaehyun mumbles something through the earpiece and not a second later the spot where the Dragonaire men stood blows up, leaving gaping holes on the wall and on the floor, causing the men to fall below and hit the preceding floor with a chorus of sickening thuds. Slabs of flesh are strewn across the floor and on the walls as blood paints their walkway. Jaehyun notes the iron stench sticking to his clothes and watches Taeyong licking the substance off of the corner of his mouth.

He should be disgusted ㅡ but he isn’t.

They promptly follow Doyoung’s instructions. Successfully shooting the guards unconscious, Yuta refills his gun with bullets.

“I’ll check in here. Floor’s currently free and if I need help I’ll get Johnny. Backup surrounds the ground floor, will probably do their own thing in the annex so you and chocolate freak head to the remaining floors.”

“You sure?” Jaehyun cocks his gun. “I can let Tae-“

“Go,” Yuta grunts, inflamed. “Fucking Gold card underestimating me.”

Jaehyun snorts and beckons Taeyong to follow. His hair dances with the wind as they run down the hallway and up the stairs but nothing seems to make his stone face crumble. Jaehyun curses as another onslaught of gunmen appear, slightly regretting leaving Yuta as he hides and fishes out another magazine.

“Fuck- my arm stings I think I got a cut,”

Taeyong looks at him and without warning, moves to come out of their hiding spot. Jaehyun almost screams for him to get back but Taeyong only pulls out several blades attached to his hip and flings them all at once, faster than the bullets, quicker than the enemies could fathom. The knives impale their jugulars, splitting skin and cutting nerves. Blood squirts out of their pulses as Taeyong skids across the floor to quickly retrieve his knives, not without making sure they’re breathless as he pushes down past their flesh one last time.

The gut-wrenching sight of at least ten lifeless bodies makes Jaehyun dizzy, and the almost tangible aroma of copper fills his senses. Taeyong wipes the blood on his pants before quickly looking at Jaehyun as though he got lost in his own world for a bit, grinning roguishly. He places a hand under his chin and turns his head in an odd angle as he cracks his neck, the viscous blood of the enemy coloring his tongue crimson red when it slithers along the seams of his lips. Jaehyun later grasps that Taeyong had licked one the knives clean.

He looks utterly insane, like the murderer he was.

“You keep staring at me, dimple boy.”

Jaehyun is rooted on his spot. The familiar static of the Bluetooth earpiece fills his ear.

 _“Jaehyun, Yuta’s empty-handed. I ordered him to retreat. The others cleared the extensions_ _ㅡ_ _the Kingpin’s not there! It looks like_ _ㅡ_ _“_

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

Someone looking rather young dressed in a velvet suit stands before them. Sidestepping the corpses on the floor, the nameless man pulls out a gun and points at Jaehyun, completely disregarding Taeyong with a curt glance. “Did you do this?”

_Is this guy dumb, can’t he see the knives-_

_“_ _ㅡ_ _said to be out of the country. Get out of there now, Johnny’s going to blow the place up and Winwin’s burning down the annex! We’re only here to get someone and warn!”_

Doyoung’s voice drowns in the sea of his swarming thoughts. Jaehyun’s gun is empty, he’s still gripping the loaded magazine and if he so much as raises a hand, he’s dead.  

“What makes you think I did?” Jaehyun swiftly plugs the magazine and before either him or the nameless Dragonaire member register their own movements, a spark of silver glints against the light as it cuts through the air and stabs the enemy’s hand, effectively forcing him to drop the gun with a pained cry.

“Fuckingㅡ“

Taeyong props a foot up the wall and propels his weight forward in a blinding showcase of agility, landing in front of the injured man and drives the blade through his hand before wrenching it out without so much of a grimace. The cries grow louder as the man clutches his hand, desperately covering the wound.

“Come on, ‘am fucking hungry.” Taeyong lifts the slowly paling man and hauls him over his shoulder like a sack, walking past Jaehyun.

He remains there for a few seconds, noting the stinging of his arm and Doyoung’s vague shouts through the earpiece before running after Taeyong.

Jaehyun closes the door of the van behind him and Winwin speeds off before anyone could catch them. He settles on the seat and winces, alerting Ten about his injury. The nurse quickly works on his arm, cutting through the sleeve to wipe the blood off and disinfect the cut.

“The bullet just grazed your arm. Still lucky.” Ten mumbles and wraps gauze around Jaehyun’s bicep. “Come to the clinic to get it cleaned. Is anyone else harmed?”

No one else responds, thankfully. Yuta is knocked out in the backseat, exhausted. Doyoung is already writing a report to be sent to their Kingpin while Johnny and the others ㅡ minus Taeyong discuss just who the hell this person is they’re taking for hostage.

“He’s not in the records. I already checked. Perhaps a new member.” Doyoung says, brows furrowed as he chews on his lip. “Might still be helpful to dig for information regarding their plans for advancement.”

Jaehyun closes his eyes. Replaying the scenes from earlier, he feels his skin crawl when the image of the knife thrower sinking the blade down the enemy’s neck without so much as a twitch on his face flashes behind his eyelids. He admits, Taeyong’s skills are out of this world. He could beat the speed of a bullet and he’s got a deadly accuracy in his strikes. It’s like the blades are a part of him and when he moves, it is fluid like water.

What bothers him most is the lack of emotions. The lack of empathy and compassion are as natural as breathing in their profession. They smuggle, rake dirty money and sell people. But Taeyong is something else. Not a twitch of the eye, not a downward curl of his mouth, not a glower. Nothing. It’s though he’s an empty vessel of what used to be a human being.

He can feel the burning stare on the side of his face, but Jaehyun refuses to open his eyes. If he does, Taeyong would be looking at him with those soulless blue eyes that as creepy as they are, Jaehyun gets pulled right in. He can’t afford it, he won’t allow it. No one knows what goes on in the knife thrower’s head, and Jaehyun isn’t about to decode it. Not yet.

0o0o0

“There were two major entrances in the building that we have spotted. One in front and one in the back. The backdoors are obviously for packages and deliveries based on the two delivery vans parked outside and a few boxes sitting idly by the gates. The boxes were empty. The extensions on the left and right sides can only be entered through the main building. From what we saw, the drugs are in annex A and electronics are in annex B. Records are kept in the main office, but all the important people we expected were not around ㅡ we lately discovered the Kingpin and his subordinates flew overseas, specifically in Russia. There were no indications as to what they went there for. To make sure, the place had been blown up to prevent any more possible transactions, although we are still uncertain whether they have a backup hideout.” Doyoung faces them as he finishes the report. “There are no traces as of now of any plans to attack Red Phoenix.”

Namgyu glares at the screen, rubbing his chin in concentration. “Is it safe to say that we have put a stop to Dragonaire’s advances towards Garnet?”

“If they are keeping all significant data in the office that was particularly bombed to pieces, and the extensions that were set on fire, we can conclude that we’ve put quite a lot of damage on their operations.” The Gold card hacker clears his throat. “Furthermore, we’ve taken someone seemingly important to their organization. He’s not in their records, perhaps a means of protection. If Dragonaire’s keeping this person’s identity, might as well think that this man’s of value to them.”

“Where is he?” The Kingpin scans the room, eyeing the members of the current mission. “That man holds the answers to as how we can take down their leader.”

Jaehyun clicks his pen, shrugging. “He’s keeping Lee Taeyong busy.”

Namgyu shakes his head almost as soon as Jaehyun says the foreigner’s name. “Go and check if the guy’s still breathing. I told you not to leave valuable things unattended, especially in Taeyong’s hands.”

“I thought he’s getting better?”

Namgyu scoffs and gestures Doyoung to pack his things, getting up to approach Moon Taeil for his schedule. “You’ll never know with that guy.”

***

“Are you sure you’re going there? We’ll ask someone else, one of the guards to keep an eye on him.” Johnny relays, concern written all over his face. “That shit’s nasty. I saw it once and I couldn’t sleep for days.”

“That’s probably because you’re weak for stuff like that,” Jaehyun playfully jabs and holds Johnny’s hand resting on his shoulder, dismissing the other’s worries. “I can handle myself. Besides, can someone really approach him without getting bashed to death? I told you, we actually talked back in the gym. He was harmless enough to me.”

Johnny clicks his tongue. “That’s still so weird, you know. You’re new. He’s playing favorites.”

“I’ll see you later. Don’t mind me.”

Jaehyun leaves before Johnny could even try his luck again. Racking his brain for the right direction to the torture room, Jaehyun picks up his pace and practically races down the hallway, catching the elevator. As he presses the floor number leading to where Taeyong’s doing his job, he receives a horrified look from the lady next to him. Jaehyun gives her a once over.

She’s dressed scantily with a skirt so short that if Jaehyun tilts his head a bit, he could see a shy peek of her buttocks. She’s wearing stilettos that will make annoying clacking against the floor once she walks and a blouse with the top two buttons open to reveal a definitely nice cleavage. Her lips are vibrant red and her hair is tied in a neat ponytail. Jaehyun raises a brow to appreciate the way her clothes emphasize her curves.

“Why are you going there?”

“I need to watch a friend. They’re kind of clumsy.” Jaehyun shrugs, finally taking his eyes off of her.

“Taeyong doesn’t have friends.” She deadpans, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “I haven’t seen you around before. I’m Risa.”

That gets Jaehyun’s attention back to her. “Risa Uehara? Taeyong’s girlfriend? Or not.” He smirks for good measure, letting her know that he _knows_ her futile attempts to get in his pants. “People talk.”

Risa’s eyes roll so hard that Jaehyun fears them getting stuck in the back of her head for a moment. “He’s so stubborn. Always pushing me away. I think he’s just shy, you know. God, you’ve seen his face, right? Of course! Boys like him get extra sexy when they do bad things.” Her eyes literally sparkle as she daydreams about the knife thrower. “I’ll let him cut my leㅡ“

The elevator dings and Jaehyun quickly leaves, not really wanting to hear her next words. The door leading to the room is close. There are no windows to show the inside and Jaehyun curses under his breath, the wish of a slight preparation slipping through the gaps of his fingers. In all honesty, he has no idea what Taeyong does, how Taeyong does his job. Now, without even the smallest hole to witness what’s going on behind these walls, he knows he’s in for a wild ride. He had seen the way Taeyong pierced through those men. This will be far worse than that.

Jaehyun takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly before scanning his palm. The sound of the door unlocking accelerates his heart but he resists the urge to go back. When the door closes behind him, he instantly hears the sound of pained cries as they fill the room. They’re distant, coming from the end of the hall. Jaehyun follows its source, ending up in front of another door. This time, it’s only paper-thin walls that serve as a barrier between him and the scene he’s about to watch. Judging from the groans, moans and pleas coming from the inside, Jaehyun knows he’s about to see the real deal about Lee Taeyong.

So he doesn’t waste another second.

What Jaehyun sees inside makes him retch.

There’s a pool of blood on the floor where the guy is tied to the toes. A rope circles his arms, preventing him from raising his limbs. The same is done to his legs down to his ankles rendering him immobile. His mouth is free but his eyes are not, his sense of sight blocked with a black fabric.

He’s naked from the waist down. There are innumerable cuts all over his bare skin, ranging from short to long, shallow to deep and Jaehyun finds it hard to spot a part without lacerations. His hair is matted with thick red and Jaehyun doesn’t need to know that the man was probably knocked against the hard ground several times for the scalp to split.

He’s still breathing, crying. That’s all that matters.

Taeyong rummages through a metal box. Whatever tools in there rattle with his careless searching. He doesn’t look at Jaehyun. That’s fine. He shall not see the mess Jaehyun made on the floor with his vomit.

Jaehyun feels dizzy. The stench of blood fills the room and it’s so strong, so metallic that even the exhaust fans do nothing to lessen the smell.

“You’re not supposed to kill him,” Jaehyun starts, hoping to get through the caramel-head. “You’re only tasked to ask information andㅡ“

“You’re not exactly in the position to tell me how to do my job. Do you tell a doctor how to do his surgery? You’re just the patient.” Taeyong pulls out a plier from the box and crouches next to the bloodied body, dragging it closer to him. His blue eyes travel to where Jaehyun is, staring at his pale face. “There’s a bucket in the corner. I’m not going to clean your shit.” He suddenly drops the plier next to the man’s head and bites down his fist, frowning. His body twitches for a few seconds and he bites down harder before releasing his fist. “Get me my cigs.”

Jaehyun stares.

“Get me my fucking cigs or I’ll nip your tongue and feed it to you, Jaehyun.”

“Smoking is bad for your health,” Jaehyun sits on the floor where it’s dry when his legs feel like giving up. “I’m staying here. I’ll be watching you so don’t you dare inflict further damage. We need him alive.”

Taeyong’s blue eyes harden and he picks up the plier again. Jaehyun takes note of his twitching hand and how unstable it is as he grasps the tool in his hold. Taeyong’s experiencing weird tics that Jaehyun cannot associate to anything. Is it excitement? Is it anxiety from an unwanted spectator? He rules it out. This deranged man would love to be watched doing his masterpiece. He probably gets off on it.

“Listen,” Taeyong grabs a handful of hair and yanks. “I promise I won’t hurt you more than this if you tell me about your plans.” His voice is unbelievably coy that it sickens Jaehyun. “I’ll remove these ropes, promise.” He dangles the plier in front of the man’s face, grinning. “See? I’ll cut it soon. Just cooperate with me.”

“He can’t see you, Taeyong.” Jaehyun grunts. _The guy has lost it_. “He’s blindfolded, remember?”

“Shut up, fucker.” Taeyong hisses through gritted teeth and peers down sweetly on his toy. “Tell me about your Kingpin’s proposal to Garnet. You know Garnet, right? They’re your top target. We can’t let you do that, you see. So _please,_ ” Taeyong leans down, whispering. “I don’t really want to plunge this down your eye. It’s gonna be so exciting. You won’t see it! You won’t know when I’ll do it, if I’m about to stab you, or where it dangles, if it’s close to you… Don’t make this hard for all of us.”

“ _Please…_ please stop, I’m begging you…” The man pleads, heaving. “I can’t take it anymore, just kill me.”

Taeyong lets out a dramatic gasp, clutching his shirt. “Did you just assume I’ll go easy on you? Kill you, just like that? Honey,” Shaking his head, Taeyong glances at Jaehyun and smirks as he responds to the helpless man in his mercy. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“So if you don’t spill it soon, I’d be forced to do things to you.” Taeyong presses the plier beneath the hostage’s chin, tilting his head. “Say what?”

The man doesn’t respond, merely shaking his head as he stubbornly keeps his mouth shut. _Loyalty runs through this one’s blood,_ Jaehyun thinks to himself. If he’s put in the same position, he’s certain he’ll remain true to Red Phoenix even if it meant a slow, painful death.

But is there anyone else that can impose this amount of pain as much as Taeyong does?

A sigh escapes Taeyong’s lips before he lets go of the man’s hair, ignoring the sound it makes as it hits the soaked floor. Jaehyun keenly watches the knife thrower’s hand as they skim down the naked skin decorated with red gashes, how the worn body shudders beneath Taeyong’s fleeting fingertips. Suddenly, a hysteric cry refills the room, bouncing against the four walls as Taeyong dips his fingers right through the open wound on the man’s thigh, prodding the flesh inside.

“Stop! F-fuckㅡ stoooop! Get it out, please!” The man’s desperate cries fill Jaehyun’s ears and he quickly covers them with his hands yet his eyes remain on the delirious man.

Taeyong twists his fingers, pressing. “Since you asked so nicely,” He wrenches out his fingers and runs the same hand through his hair, staining the strands with red. Jaehyun itches to come over and wipe Taeyong’s hair clean, glaring at the abrupt distraction. “Will you talk now?”

The man only cries louder, curling up as if doing that would make him disappear from the hawk-eyes of his tormenter.

“I’m running out of fucking patience here.” Taeyong grabs the man’s jaw and pries his mouth open using the plier.

Jaehyun straightens, eyes wide. “Taeyong, donㅡ“

Another wave of agonized wailing knocks the wind out of Jaehyun’s lungs, his legs wobbling as life seems to drain out of him the same time the tortured hostage screams, begging. Taeyong flings a tooth away and nips one more, ripping it out of the man’s gum. Said man continues to beg, slurring his words as he gradually weakens and redness coats the inside of his mouth.

“Scream, alright, it sounds fucking good, like music to mㅡ“ Taeyong gets cut off as he feels the cold muzzle of a gun pressed hard against his temple. Jaehyun’s hand trembles, his eyes shaky as he stares at the face of Lee Taeyong.

“Stop it. Now. Drop the fucking plier or I’ll shoot your fucking brains out.”

Taeyong stares forward as he lets the plier fall out of his grasp. Jaehyun kicks it away and grabs the front of Taeyong’s shirt, hauling him across the floor until they’re on a safe distance from the barely breathing man.

“Fuck right off!” Taeyong rips Jaehyun’s hand away from his shirt and glares daggers on the man towering over him. His chest heaves in anger and he bites down his hand, grunting.

“You fucking murderer,” Jaehyun sits over Taeyong’s waist, pinning him down. The gun finds its way between Taeyong’s eyes and Jaehyun’s hand stiffens as he fights the will to pull the trigger. “You’re going to kill him!”

“Ah so you know it. Who told you? That rabbit?” Taeyong’s body begins to shake as laughter bubbles out of his lips. “None of you trusts me.”

“Who would commit such a mistake?” Jaehyun cocks his gun and presses it harder between Taeyong’s eyes.

The blue-eyed man glances to the side. “Get me my cigaㅡ“

“That’s canㅡ“

“Get me my fucking cigarettes or I’ll kill you both.” Taeyong pushes himself into a sitting position and darts forward as though challenging Jaehyun to shoot. “You think you know who I am, what I can do, well newsflash, newbie. They’re scared of me for all the fucking reasons. Don’t commit the mistake of thinking otherwise.” He grabs the gun and maneuvers it to his awaiting mouth, pushing the muzzle in. Jaehyun watches his tongue flicker around the weapon.

“You’re crazy.” Jaehyun gets off and walks over to a stool, tossing the pack of cigarettes to Taeyong. He then fishes out his phone and dials a number, glowering at the smoker.

“Ten, I need you here in the torture room.”

***

Jaehyun steps out of the bathroom, freshly showered. This is the biggest difference of Red Phoenix from Invictus ㅡ they all have their own shower rooms. He doesn’t have to be wary of strangers checking him out when he washes up.

Drying his hair with a towel, Jaehyun grunts out an answer at whoever’s knocking on his door.

“I told you not to go there.” Johnny sits on the foot of his bed looking like he hadn’t gotten a good nap. “Ten told me how messy it was.”

“I made it out alive, okay? Just threw up a little. As embarrassing as it is.” Jaehyun puts on a pair of sweatpants and faded shirt, unceremoniously plopping on his bed after. “How’s he doing?”

“Brooding. A little out of it, to be honest. I think he’s smoked his second pack throughout the day. If he doesn’t stop he’ll die in give or take, two years.”

Jaehyun snorts, amusement dancing in his eyes as he bends a leg up and props an arm on it. “I was asking about the hostage.”

“Oh.” Instead of reddening, Johnny matches the amusement on Jaehyun’s face. “Thought you were asking about the crazy, pretty boy. The man’s sedated. He lost a lot of blood but he’s stable now. Ten does a really good job, you know. Should be promoted to being a doctor, no card.”

“It was scary, Johnny. I won’t lie, no sugarcoating. It was horrifying, _barbaric_. It’s like he’s going to chop off the guy and eat him up, literally.” Jaehyun closes his eyes and sighs, trying not to replay the scene in his head. Instead he thinks of a familiar man with blue eyes, caramel hair parted on the side, long enough to flow down his chest and a cigarette clipped between thin, pink li–

“But I’m glad you still went there,” Jaehyun opens his eyes and meets Johnny’s surprisingly grateful ones. “The man won’t last long if it wasn’t for you. I’m a little apprehensive, though. He still has to get information out of that Dragonaire guy. We still don’t know his name, not even that. Taeyong almost killed him already and it’s just the first interrogation.”

“Can’t someone else do it?”

“That’s the only way for him to tame his urges. And boss required that he be watched each time. No one else would do it willingly more than once, you know.”

“Then why keep him here? Someone else can do his job in a more humane wayㅡ“

Johnny scoffs. “Humane, you say? If someone’s anything close to human here then they’re in the wrong profession. We dislike Taeyong, but no one else can do his job”

“I thought Red Phoenix was fully capable. If they can’t find someone better than Lee Taeyong then I guess I should return to Invictus. We don’t-“

“You’re quitting because of Lee Taeyong? Okay,” Johnny clears his throat and sighs, picking on the loose thread of his shirt. “He’s insane but he’s all Red Phoenix wants. He’s like all the Gold and Diamond cards combined. Just screwed in the head that’s why his work is limited. If he was clearheaded he could do this mission alone, trust me. The torture’s just to relieve the itch. He won’t kill if someone’s there to stop him and thanks to you, right?”

Jaehyun rubs a hand down his face, frustrated. “I just don’t want to bear witness to that again.” His gaze follows the aimless twisting and pulling of Johnny’s fingers on that thread. “We don’t even know if that man’s actually important to Dragonaire. Has their Kingpin made a move to reach us?”

“As of now, nothing from them. Probably still busy trying to save what they can from the ashes we left.”

Jaehyun grins in satisfaction. “They’ll know who they shall fear, right?”

“They already do.”

***

“Where’s he?”

Doyoung looks up from the laptop and everyone follows his line of sight. Winwin snorts before glancing at Yuta, slowly waving in front of his face. “Aye, we’re still here.”

Risa prances into the cafeteria, her hips swaying alluringly with the way she walks and sulks at the lack of Lee Taeyong. “Don’t tell me he’s busy again? It’s only two days ago when he was working, right?”

“And he’s not yet done working. So if you want,” Yuta drawls, smirking. “You can sit with us first.”

Risa raises a brow, obviously considering the offer before giving in, taking the spot next to her fellow Japanese. “Only because he’s not around.”

“I’ll make sure he won’t be for a long time.” Yuta dares whisper in her ear, lips brushing tantalizingly on the lobe. “Pray tell, what do you see in him, hm? Bet I can do better.”

Jaehyun watches the shameless flirting and shakes his head, turning to Doyoung. “Any progress?”

“There’s a black dragon tattoo on the bottom of the man’s spine. The same tattoo found on their Kingpin’s nape. That can only mean our hostage is worth just as much. It won’t be long before they come for us personally.”

“Should I feel threatened?”

Doyoung eyes him over the laptop with a hum. “Maybe.”

“Where’s Johnny?” Winwin asks, eyes trained on the game he’s playing on his phone. “Is he with Ten?”

“Most likelyㅡ“ Jaehyun’s gaze automatically goes over to Taeyong who walks in, posture lackadaisical with a lollipop in his mouth. He’s dressed in the same black hoodie and track pants he’s seen wearing the day Jaehyun arrived. His hair is stylishly parted on the side exposing his forehead and the slit on his brow, the side tucked to display the array of silver earrings. Oddly, there isn’t a cigarette stick placed on his ear. He also braided the long tail of his tresses.

“Put him in a dress and he’d look like the princess you’d save from the witch.” Doyoung remarks offhandedly, taking Jaehyun aback. “You’re his knight in shining armor.”

“What are youㅡ“

“Taeyoooong~!” Risa sing-songs, pushing Yuta’s arm off her shoulders. Taeyong turns to her with nothing much but a single twitch of his eye, partly from irritation before gathering the box of banana milk he bought from the vending machine.

He takes his usual seat and Risa follows, leaving a sour trace on Yuta’s expression. She’s glued to his side in no time – yet in no time, she’s yelping as her butt hits the floor when Taeyong nudges her away. It certainly looks forced that even Yuta who’s genuinely interested in her looks amused at her misfortune.

“Come on,” She picks herself up, dignity forgotten as her arms circle Taeyong’s neck from behind, her cherry red lips pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Jaehyun pretends he’s not peeved.

“When will you stop resisting me?” She has the audacity to tug on his ear with her teeth, winking at the boys watching her. “I’ll make you feel good…”

Taeyong releases the candy with a loud ‘pop’, still looking straight ahead as he stabs the straw in the juice box. “You’ll make me feel good when I carve my name on your chest.”

Risa beams. She fucking _beams_. “Oooh, I love a little bit of pa-“

“Before I wrench your heart out and feed it to the dogs.”

She visibly stiffens, slowly backing off with a wry smile. “That’s harsh, you know?”

“You really shouldn’t be questioning his life choices if you want him to dick you down, which from the looks of it, isn’t happening at all.” Jaehyun presses his lips in a firm line to stop the laughter bubbling in his chest. She looks scandalized to say the least, and Jaehyun fails to find it in himself to feel bad when she storms out. He guesses it’s completely fine when even Yuta’s doubling over against the table.

“Dude, what the hell! Johnny really missed that, huh?” Yuta’s still shaking and Winwin suffers it as the Japanese harshly slaps down his back, still highly amused.

Taeyong turns in his seat, facing their table. The straw is pressed down his bottom lip and the tip of his tongue pushes against it. It’s obviously a show – particularly for Jung Jaehyun.

The receiver of Lee Taeyong’s unwarranted attention squirms in his seat.

“Would you like to be in her place instead, Jaehyun?”

“Ooooh,”

Jaehyun glares at Yuta before looking back at Taeyong. “Who said it’s me who’s gonna get dicked down?”

“Is that a challenge?” Taeyong asks, sounding genuinely curious.

“No. I’m not fucking a crazed runaway.”

Taeyong chuckles, putting the juice box down in lieu of sucking the lollipop again, lewdly pushing the candy on the inside of his cheek, mimicking the push and pull of a dick in his mouth. “Bet you’ll get your kicks on it, when someone dangerous like me is in your mercy, begging and whimpering for your big cock to pound my tight little ass…”

Jaehyun’s face heats up and he immediately takes his wide eyes away from the caramel-head, opting to glare at the back of Doyoung’s laptop. That was totally unexpected and he wasn’t ready for those _filthy_ words to come out of Taeyong’s mouth.

Everyone in their table is slack-jawed.

“We’re not even starting yet, and you’re already losing.” Taeyong gets off his seat and leaves with nothing more, but the ignited fire in Jaehyun’s gut.

Winwin is the first one to close his mouth, blinking down his mobile game. His character died. “Well, I think that means let’s get back to work…?”

***

Jaehyun is yet again, late. Moon Taeil has a penchant for giving false information and expects them to get used to it. Well, everyone else is except Jaehyun.   

“Fuck,” Jaehyun rushes down the hallway, zipping up his pants. He’s about to make a turn when he spots a familiar brown mop of hair standing in front of the elevator shaking his hand, probably the tics, wondering where the hell Taeyong is going when there’s an emergency meeting. He pushes the thought aside as he continues on his way, receiving a look of disapproval from their boss.

He settles down and pats his chest, steadying his breathing.

“I’m expected to greet you a good morning but this day is anything but good. We finally received a message from Dragonaire,” Namgyu’s face hardens as he scans the room, glaring at an empty seat. “They identified the man we took as hostage.”

“Apparently, the man is not officially a member of their organization and had only happened to visit the HQ when the mission was done. But that does not mean he’s nothing to Dragonaire.”

The pounding headache Jaehyun sports at the moment peeves him further. He wants to hit the clinic and ask Ten for some medicine so he can finally go back to sleep. If only Namgyu stops being va–

“The hostage is Kim Jaeseok, the son of Kim Taejun, Dragonaire’s Kingpin.”

Everyone gawks. Doyoung quickly works his fingers over the keyboard of his laptop and searches through files, agitated. Jaehyun sees the clear signs of unease settle in the rest of them. He recalls what he had to go through a few days ago in the torture room and mentally pats himself for being able to stop the knife thrower from killing the man.

“Where’s Lee Taeyong? I swear to God, he’s never going to commit fully to us.”

_Taeyong? I saw him heading somewhere. He was twitching, chewing his lip and he looked restle-_

Jaehyun’s heart stops.

“Shit.” He quickly shoots up from his seat, startling everyone as he storms out of the meeting room and takes the nearest flight of stairs. His lungs are already burning and the ache in his head pulses harder as he enters the room he swore he never wanted to visit again.

Just as he allowed himself to have a little bit of hope, Jaehyun falls down his knees, chest heaving.

There in front of him is Lee Taeyong cradling the lifeless body of Kim Jaeseok, a bloodied knife buried on the base of his throat.

“Game Over.” Taeyong grins before pulling the knife out of the corpse.

Jaehyun stares and stares and he doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at the dead man’s body lovingly held by the killer himself before the door bursts open and the rest of their team comes in, wearing the same look of horror in their faces. Jaehyun feels himself get pulled up, later seeing that it is Doyoung’s hand clutching his arm as the others forcibly take the corpse out of Taeyong’s hold.

There isn’t much resistance from Taeyong when he let someone remove the body from his arms. The last thing he sees is Ten’s face before something pricks the side of his neck and he limps on the ground, sedated.

Doyoung pulls him out of the way as the men carried Kim Jaeseok’s body, and Johnny with Taeyong collapsed on his shoulder.

“Let’s go back to boss; we need to settle this ASAP.”

Jaehyun lets himself get dragged. He’s still zoning out even as they return to the office, only getting over the shock as their Kingpin takes his own seat with a defeated look.

“Sir, Dragonaire’s not going to take this well. We didn’t know–“

“Take him away.”

Jaehyun glances at Doyoung then back to Namgyu. “Sirㅡ“

“Take Lee Taeyong away. Hide. We have a hideout ㅡ Taeil will email you the address. Take one of the cars and leave as soon as you finish packing. And that will start now. Fifteen minutes.”

He feels nothing but absolute confusion. Dread settles in Jaehyun’s stomach as what the boss suggests dawns on him.

“Are you telling me to run away and hide this fucking killer? I don’t care what happens to him ㅡ I’m not going to get tangled with his mess!”

“Dragonaire cannot find Taeyong, Jung Jaehyun. I suggest you best get ready. The car will be out and Taeyong will wait for you there.“

Jaehyun slams his hands down the table, enraged. “Why me? I don’t want to get involved! I’m not harboring a murderer!”

“Because you’re the only one capable of controlling him! This is not a request. This is an order. You will do as I say or I’ll void your membership and throw you back to Invictus.”

“That sounds favoㅡ“

“Jaehyun.” Namgyu approaches him, gripping his arms. “Do this for me. Keep my son out of this.”

 _Son. He called him his_ _ㅡ_

“Doyoung, please bring Jaehyun back to his room and help him pack. Taeyong’s things will be ready in the car.”

Doyoung shakily gets out of his seat and wordlessly drags Jaehyun again, cursing out loud as soon as they enter the latter’s room.

“Holy shit. No one fucking knows that.” Doyoung grabs a bag and frantically stuffs it with clothes, toiletries and whatever he finds in Jaehyun’s room. “I should’ve decoded that, right? He’s so protective of Lee Taeyong. Hell, they even fucking look alike in some angles. How the hell did I miss that?” Doyoung closes the bag and pushes it in Jaehyun’s arms. “The hideout is complete of necessities. The only thing you have to do is watch him, make sure he’s not going to make this worse than he already did.”

“What about you guys? Dragonaire will come for youㅡ“

“We’ll handle ourselves. Red Phoenix didn’t earn its reputation for nothing. Here,” Doyoung hands him a phone. “That’s untraceable. That’s where I’m going to call you for updates. The place you’ll stay in doesn’t have an access to internet so keep that phone charged. I will also inform your father about this.”

Jaehyun hasn’t sunk in all of the information but he follows Doyoung again, padding down the hall and riding the elevator in silence and internal panic until they reach a black muscle car. He sees Taeyong in the backseat, knocked out cold with his arms, wrists and legs tied.

“Jaehyun.” Doyoung stops him. He tosses the bag in the shotgun seat and looks at the Gold card holder, jaw clenching. He’s so angry, infuriated about the whole situation. But he has no choice. He’s going into the lion’s territory.

“Be careful.”

Jaehyun nods and pats Doyoung’s shoulder before getting in the car. He takes a quick look at the man in the backseat before revving the engine and speeding down the road to escape their reality.

***

Jaehyun rolls the window down and lets the wind sift through the soft strands of his black hair. It’s rather chilly as it hits his face but he keeps it that way, feeling the atmosphere rather stuffy when the windows are close and the cool air-conditioner blasts maximum. They’ve been on the road for almost two hours and if the row of trees and lack of modern houses conclude something, Jaehyun can tell that they’re now far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially the HQ.

The shade that the trees offer is pleasant, giving off a natural glow and breeze. His mind still buzzes with thoughts – questions about their safety, _his_ safety, and the future. He doesn’t know what lies ahead of them. They’re going to live far away from the life they were born into, and forced to put a mask on every waking day. Worse, Jaehyun has to suck it up and get through this with the very core of the problem and pretend that this is not even remotely close to distressing.

Guess he just needs to keep one eye open during his sleep just in case Lee Taeyong decides he’s bored again and Jaehyun will be his newest plaything.

“Nng…”

Jaehyun glimpses through the rearview mirror.

Taeyong rouses from his sleep, bleary vision registering the trees zooming past outside. He watches more trees move and attempts to sit up, only to be welcomed by the sight of him tied raptly. His head pounds.

“If you try to escape I’m going to crash this car and leave you alone.”

“Fuck. Where the fuck are we,” Taeyong struggles to turn on his side, wincing. “I fucking see trees I think we’re not in Korea anymore.”

“Idiot. Are you that dumb? Shut up and take some more sleep. We still got half an hour down the road.”

“So we’re out of civilization.”

Jaehyun chooses not to respond. He takes another look through the mirror and scoffs at the sight of Taeyong knocked out again.

***

The car stops in front of the cabin. There’s no garage so the Gold card has to leave the car on the side of the road. It’s not going to cause any hindrance to travelers since the place doesn’t look like people would spend their vacation there. Taeyong’s right, though. It looks like they’re going to have to suffer for a bit ㅡ or until this ludicrous state they’re in is over.

He opens the door of the backseat and starts to pull the body out, waking Taeyong.

“Heyㅡ don’t fucking touch me I can walk by myself!”

Jaehyun frowns, letting go of Taeyong to grab their bags instead. “Fine. Wiggle your way into the cabin.”

“Whatㅡ hey!”

He leaves the car door open and enters their temporary home, quickly wincing at the fact that he actually called it _home._ There’s only one bedroom and he drops both of their bags on the mattress before heading to the small kitchen, pleased that the fridge’s stocked. Someone’s regularly coming here to keep it clean, possibly. The bathroom is small, but complete with a bar of soap, shampoo and toothpaste. There’s a mini television set, the antique kind with one or two channels most likely news outlets. Opposite the TV is a couch fit for two people that Jaehyun assumes will be his bed since he will never even think of sleeping next to the other man.

All in all the place is livable, its only disadvantage being the lack of internet connection. Fair enough. They can be traced if they use the Wi-Fi.

His stomach grumbles, reminding him that he hasn’t eaten anything yet since being unexpectedly shaken awake by Moon Taeil. He also doesn’t have the energy to make himself a good meal so he takes out a box of cereal from the cupboard and pours it in a bowl, filling it with milk.

He had just settled on the table when Taeyong’s pitiful form worms its way through the front door, clothes soiled with dried leaves stuck to his hair. He’s also killing Jaehyun with his glare.

“You fuckin’ asshole, untie me! When I get ahold of Jesus H. Christ I’m going to strangle you!”

Jaehyun watches Taeyong squirm on the ground, biting down the head of his spoon to stop himself from laughing. “You really think he’s going to side with you, no?”

“Untie me.”

Jaehyun begrudgingly leaves his cereal and picks up a kitchen knife before crouching next to Taeyong, cutting the ropes. Once the other’s free he closes the front door and silently returns to his food to fill his stomach. In times like this, cereal suddenly tastes better than the pasta in a five-star restaurant. He’s so hungry that it gives him an illusion of flavors bursting in his mouth.

“If you’re done brooding, there’s still cereal. Come before I finish it all.”

Taeyong surprisingly foregoes any sort of protest, quietly padding across to take the other stool opposite Jaehyun. Jaehyun sighs and grabs a clean bowl as well as a spoon, filling it with cereal and milk before giving it to Taeyong. He then dumps his empty bowl in the sink and washes it, putting it in the rack to dry.

Jaehyun turns around, leaning against the sink with arms crossed over his chest, exhaustion etched on his face. “You’re not allowed to go out without my supervision. You’re going to stay inside this house 24/7 and if you need fresh air I will be tailing you. You’re not allowed to keep a knife. I’ll allow you to smoke ㅡ I don’t wanna deal with a nasty withdrawal. I’ll lock all sharp objects in a cabinet; let me see you try biting the padlock off.”

“I’m not fucking crazy,” Taeyong drops the spoon in his bowl and it clatters loudly. “I know the degree of this situation so you don’t need to treat me like a fucking mental.”

“I wish I could believe you after that stunt you pulled off in Red Phoenix.”

Taeyong’s hands ball into fists, shaking. “You don’t even know why I did it.”

“Do I have to know?” Jaehyun carefully approaches him and plucks out the leaves on his hair. “I don’t think I need you telling me it’s because you get all twitchy and restless when you can’t tame the urges. It’s inexcusable. You didn’t have to fucking kill him, Taeyong. Now Red Phoenix will be in a state of chaos. Dragonaire is going to eliminate every single one of us because you murdered their Kingpin’s heir.”

They hold an eye contact, both refusing to break it first. Jaehyun forces himself to stare back into those deep blue eyes. Something flashes across them before Taeyong admits defeat and fills his mouth with the soggy cereal.

“No one fucking asks.”

For some reason, the words strike Jaehyun’s heart, shattering it into pieces. He understands that Taeyong must have experienced a rough childhood or something that goes along those lines. Some children are emotionally sensitive and grow feeling and thinking they’re inept. He can’t even question their boss why he never put Taeyong in a mental health facility. The older man probably cares more about his reputation and the risk of outing his identity if someone outside of their world knows even just the tiniest bit of personal information, worse when the clue is a psychopath son.

He actually wants to ask. Jaehyun wants to know why Taeyong killed Jaeseok. But he’s afraid that if he delves deeper into it, he won’t be able to rise up. Someone like Taeyong can be manipulative. He needs to be wary of every little thing that comes out of Taeyong’s mouth, since there’s a high probability that all of it will turn out to be a lie.

“Take a shower after you finish eating. You look like shit.”

“And whose fault is that?” Taeyong peers at him, a few strands of his caramel hair falling over his eyes. “Making me crawl like a frickin’ worm? Sadist bitch.”

With a loud sigh, Jaehyun leaves the kitchen to actually clean himself up. It was too damn early when he was drawn out of sleep.

He locks the door of the bathroom when he gets in, immediately peeling off his clothes and stepping into the shower stall. The water’s warm as it cascades down his body. He finds himself staring down the floor and watching the water drain, suddenly seeing red and thinking of the scene in the torture room. Jaehyun lets his head hit the wall, ignoring the dull throb of his skull.

In his whole 24 years of living, Jaehyun had only wanted to be of service to his father, be the son his family would take pride in, be the leader his future people would depend on. He believed the concept that he is capable of anything, prided himself with past achievements and success under his name, only to plunge to the bottom when he fails to prevent the storm from raining down.

He thought he could handle the enigma that is Lee Taeyong. He thought he had the man figured out from the bits of information from Doyoung, thought he understood it all, only to be given the horror of his life. He vowed to fight, not hide. Maybe he had gotten too arrogant, raised his head higher than the clouds.

If this is an obstacle, then he has to conquer it. He’s going to keep Lee Taeyong from destroying all that he had worked hard for.

Jaehyun grabs the shampoo and furiously scrubs through his hair, massaging his scalp thoroughly as though the harsh action would erase the anxiety-inducing thoughts gnawing at the back of his mind. He soaps up quickly and stands under the shower again to let the water wash the suds away before turning the knob, drying himself with a clean towel kept in the cabinet. He gets out of the bathroom with Taeyong still at the kitchen, staring blankly into space. Taking that opportunity, he gets dressed while the other’s attention is scattered, coming back to take the now empty bowl into the sink.

“Let’s talk about sleeping arrangements,” Jaehyun starts while towel-drying his hair. “There’s only one bed.”

“Just put me where there’s no sharp object that I can use to cut through your artery, I’m going to be fine.”

Jaehyun watches him move around, searching. His eyes roll when Taeyong takes out a handful of candy from the fridge, stuffing some in his pocket and quickly unwrapping one with a childish glow on his face. “I’m keeping everything where you can’t take them.”

“Sure. Let’s pretend I haven’t been here before and I don’t know every nook and cranny of this cabin. But mark my words, I’ll behave.” The candy rolls in the pocket of his cheek, sweet slick coating his mouth. “Isn’t that your job now? Making sure the bad boy behaves himself.”

The will to run his hand through those caramel locks, grab it and yank the owner’s head back to he could keep that nasty mouth shut with his own travels through the fibers of Jaehyun’s body, electrifying the tips of his fingers with a dull heat accompanying it in the bottom of his stomach. They engage in an eye contact and he doesn’t back down this time, weighing his options and ending up with two: one, the more logical choice which is leave Taeyong alone and not to indulge him with the thought of getting on Jaehyun’s nerves or two, the more foolish one that he had initially considered that will surely end up badly.

Taeyong raises a brow and cuts the invisible string connecting them both before it could shrink shorter, opting to feed himself another candy and tossing the wrapper in the bin. He walks past Jaehyun with the slightest brush of his shoulder against the latter’s, sending a tingling sensation he’s unaware of up Jaehyun’s spine.

He doesn’t see the color of Jaehyun’s cheeks changing when he enters the bathroom and locks himself in for the next few minutes.

***

Their first night in the cabin passed by rather uneventful ㅡ Jaehyun ended up taking the couch and curling up uncomfortably through the night. He didn’t get much sleep despite feeling tired. His mind whirred with thoughts and courses of action he would need to prepare just in case they’d get found.

No sound came from the bedroom. Jaehyun deduced that Taeyong must be sleeping or smoking judging from the faint scent of cigarette emanating from the slit at the bottom of the bedroom door. Smoking’s okay, he allowed Taeyong the freedom to ruin his lungs and eventually his, too, fuck secondhand smoking.

All objects that might impose harm had been locked in a cabinet at the kitchen. They’d have to buy some disposable plastic utensils and plates. Who knows if Taeyong goes berserk and breaks the wares – at this point, anything can be a potential weapon.

His handgun is pressed against his hip. Jaehyun needs it every second for all the thinkable reasons. They need protection from Dragonaire, and he needs protection from the man he’s ironically protecting.

The sun had raised high into the East when Jaehyun gets up, rolling his shoulders and bending his neck side to side. They produce a worrying sound of crack, albeit giving a wash of relief. The road’s empty when he peeks outside through the old, thick curtain covering the front window. There are no other houses close to theirs and the nearest market is thirty minutes away. They’re practically in the woods right now ㅡ maybe Jaehyun needs to look out for wild animals sneaking into their place instead.

God, he hates snakes.

He’s in the middle of making pancakes when Taeyong pads into the kitchen, looking like he doesn’t really want to get up with his eyes half-closed and hair wildly standing into different directions. Jaehyun notes the different set of clothes ㅡ blue jeans and white shirt, a far cry from what he’s always seen wearing back in the HQ.

Nonetheless, he still looks too attractive for his own good.

Taeyong sits on the stool and slumps over the table, groaning.

“If you’re going to mop around like that for the entire day then please do us both a favor and go back to the room.”

“I’m hungry. Don’t be mean to me or I’ll chew those cigs you hate so much.” Taeyong peers over at Jaehyun, nose scrunching at the scent of breakfast. “That’s better than eating cancer sticks. What did my cigs even do to you, Jaehyun?” He drawls, words a little slurred as sleep attempts to pull him back. “Leave them alone…”

Jaehyun snorts, amused at the display of an unguarded Taeyong. He piles the pancakes on a single plate and hands Taeyong a spoon.

“Dumbass, you eat pancakes with fork and knife.”

“I don’t trust you around forks and knives. Come on; don’t act like you didn’t eat scraps with your bare hands before Red Phoenix took you in.”

“That was such a hard life, you know. People kicking you out when you just want to ask for some fucking food. Even soju would’ve worked during the cold nights.” Taeyong huffs and stuffs his mouth full. “Went into this club one night, the bouncer was too grumpy to give a fuck about who enters ㅡ I went straight to the bar and asked for a drink ‘cause I was so fuckin’ thirsty, yeah. But I wasn’t informed I had to have moneyㅡ“

“You need money to buy a drink, Taeyong.” Jaehyun deadpans.

“But I had none, you see. I ran away from home with a single loaf of bread slapped with some jam, and damn that tasted stale. Been walking around aimlessly for weeks, I was fucking starving and would people hire a homeless blue-eyed freak like me, like what y’all call me?” Taeyong waves dismissively, some bits of chewed pancake falling off of his mouth that Jaehyun wipes off with some tissue. “So I got no money, alright. These two bastards pushed me outta their way, the fuckin’ nerve they had. I lost it. I just lost it. I was homeless, starving, I didn’t wanna fuckin’ die just like that so I poured out all of my frustration onto those gents ㅡ may they rest in peace.” 

“Those were the ones whose skull you bashed open with a bottle.” Jaehyun looks ahead, pancake dangling on his spoon.

Taeyong grins. “Did Doyoung really tell you everything? Nah, can’t be. No one knew I’m that asshole’s son. So I guess you still don’t know anything about me. Kind of a downer, huh?”

Jaehyun glances down his pancake and realizes he hasn’t poured some syrup on it. Taeyong doesn’t seem to have a problem without it. He grabs the bottle of syrup from the counter and squirts an abundance of it over his pancakes. “Wipe that smug look off of your face, please. You’re not that interesting.”

“Oooh,” Taeyong teases, wiggling his brows. “I like the sound of _please_ coming from you. It didn’t sound _that_ pleasing coming from whoever I killed. Must have been someone huge if you’re going through this with me.”

The weight of their situation falls over him like bricks, reminding Jaehyun of the problem they’re evading. “That’s Kim Jaeseok. Son of Kim Taejun ㅡ Dragonaire’s Kingpin. I already told you.” He stuffs the last bit of pancake in his mouth and chews once, twice, thrice before swallowing. It grazes down his throat swiftly. “Do you now understand what your actions brought upon Red Phoenix? Bet you know what awaits us. You got 220 on your brain.”

Taeyong’s chewing slows down and his huge eyes stare unblinkingly at Jaehyun. “They’re coming for me.”

Jaehyun mimics the sound of _Ding Dong Daeng,_ caressing the other’s ego in jest. “Correct! As much as I hate it, I gotta keep us both hidden away ㅡ especially you. God,” Groaning, Jaehyun dumps his spoon in the sink and opens the fridge, mindlessly scanning its content. “I hate this predicament.”

“Do you really?” Taeyong says after a short pause, playing with his pancake.

“What?” Jaehyun gets a bottle of water and chugs half of it, covering his mouth with a hand to muffle the sound of his burping.

“Do you really hate thisㅡhate me. If I were you, I wouldn’t be doing this. Namgyu would forgive you, you know. If you decided to–“

“No stop, stop. Don’t go there.” Jaehyun puts the bottle on the table and chuckles sardonically. “You’re guilt tripping me.”

Taeyong makes a move to stand up, looking genuinely misunderstood but before he could say something, Jaehyun already chimes in.

“I don’t hate you. Let’s be clear about that one. What I hate is this situation we’re in - I’m in. I strongly dislike you, that’s expected of me, but hatred is too strong, much too strong and best believe if I hated you I’d already be wasting one of my bullets. Get that through your skull, you’re supposed to read people better than anyone else.”

“It reeks off of you. I must have gotten careless to assume you harbored such negative emotions for me.” Taeyong begins tapping the head of the spoon on the edge of the plate, occasionally scratching and the sound makes Jaehyun grit his teeth. “But you’re lying.”

“Lying about what.”

“You don’t hate me, but you don’t dislike me either.” Taeyong smiles and pulls out a pack of cigarettes from his jeans, quickly lighting one stick and inhaling. The base of his throat hollows from the action, a sight Jaehyun didn’t miss. “When you finally admit that you find me interesting, maybe I’d show you _why_ you think I’m interesting.”

Jaehyun’s slack-jawed as Taeyong coyly winks at him before hauling his ass out of the kitchen, choosing to lounge on the couch. He seems focused on the news when he turns on the TV but Jaehyun can’t confirm that. His brain is fried at the moment. Taeyong is an infuriating, arrogant flirt who thinks he has Jaehyun wrapped around his pinky just with some innuendos. Jaehyun isn’t sure of what he wants now – the crazed Taeyong or _this_ kind of Taeyong. Perhaps he’s not coming out alive by the end of this elusion if Taeyong continues to spout such nonsense at him.

_Cut it out, Jung Jaehyun. He’s just manipulating you. He’s an insufferable psychopath._

“That word stings. I’d rather be called a misanthropist.”

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Taeyong doesn’t answer. Jaehyun washes their used plate and spoons with a scowl.

“We have to go to the market. Need to buy some plastic utensils.”

“You’re hell-bent on that agenda of yours.” Taeyong puffs out a cloud of smoke, tapping the butt of the stick on the side and Jaehyun snarls as the ash scatters on the floor.

Jesus, give him strength to get through this day without wrapping his hands around Lee Taeyong’s neck.

***

“Wait, slow down,” Taeyong taps Jaehyun’s arm once, poking his head out the window. The wind blows through his tresses, and the strands sway wildly in the air. The overgrown mullet isn’t tied and Jaehyun kind of wants to pull Taeyong back to his seat by grabbing the long ends of his hair and tugging the man down.

He holds it back.

“What,” Jaehyun asks but slows down anyway, steering the vehicle to the side and stops in front of a lone record store. They’ve been driving for twenty minutes, more or less. Taeyong quickly gets off the car, startling Jaehyun who scrambles to follow him inside the store, glancing once to check if it’s fine to leave the car outside. Anyway, he has the key, so.

“This isn’t the supermarket, Taeyong.” Jaehyun hisses lowly, finding his spot right behind the caramel-head. They can’t afford anyone listening in on them and knowing who they are. “Let’s go.”

“No no no, no harm in doing this for a bit.” The record store isn’t huge ㅡ it only has two shelves of display, some of them of magazines and newspapers. Jaehyun furtively glances at the counter where the cashier, a boy who looks like he’s in teenage years discreetly follow the two customers with his eyes, half of his face hidden behind a book turned upside down.

Taeyong picks out a record, Celine Dion’s greatest hits. Her face is on the whole cover, brows shaved too thin and lips glossy. It’s the early 2000s makeup style, Jaehyun muses. Not like he knows one or two about makeups. The vinyl record returns to its place back in the shelf and Jaehyun bears with Taeyong’s fickle mind, pulling out discs only to put it back on the shelf.

The cashier boy continues to give them an eye. Jaehyun takes a step back ㅡ the boy doesn’t look his way.

_He’s eyeing Taeyong._

He’s uncertain whether it’s a good or a bad thing, or neutral. Bad if Dragonaire had already traced them and left a photo of Taeyong so civilians could report back to them – though that’s unlikely, since there’s nothing with them that is easily traceable. The cabin is also just one of the many hideouts Red Phoenix has. Good if the boy’s merely fascinated by Taeyong’s good looks and utterly distracted, something that may give them advantage. Maybe a 10% discount on any item?

And neutral ㅡ the boy might just be curious and asking himself why Taeyong would even commit the mistake of growing a mullet THAT long and refuse to cut it.

The thought of Taeyong cutting his beautiful hair doesn’t sit well with Jaehyun.

“Can you buy this for me?” Taeyong cuts through his thoughts, showing him a vinyl record of Michael Jackson.

_At least he’s got taste._

Jaehyun shrugs and beckons Taeyong to the counter with a curl of his finger. The cashier boy quickly schools his expression and puts the book away, greeting the customers halfheartedly as Jaehyun pulls out a credit card from one of his breast pockets.

“Where did you get that?”

“Saw it in your bag. Probably your father’s order. You think it’s unlimited?” Jaehyun hands the card to the cashier boy whose eyes are having difficulty focusing on scanning the barcode on the disk.

“Who cares? Drain it to zero if we can. Not our problem if the bank suspects shit.” Taeyong hands the card back to Jaehyun once it’s paid and refuses the use of a plastic bag for the disc, murmuring something about non-biodegradable and its harm to sea animals as he tucks the item under his arm. His fingers had brushed ever so lightly over the cashier boy’s and Jaehyun scoffs, tone cold when he tells Taeyong to drag his ass back into the car.

Taeyong bends his legs, crouching on his seat with his knees pressed against his chest. His fingers drum over the ripped fabric of his jeans, head tilting from side to side every now and then. Jaehyun gives a few short glances, not wanting to take his eyes off the road.

“What’s up? You’re acting weird.”

“I ran out of cigs. This morning was the last one.” He raises the disc over his head, tilting back while he inspects the cover. “How long before we get to the market?”

Jaehyun pulls out the phone Doyoung had given him, quickly catching a glimpse of the time. “8 minutes. It’s still morning, technically. You sure you wanna burn your lungs again?”

“What is it to you? The sooner I die, the sooner this ends. Favorable, right?” Taeyong peeks inside the case, grinning. “Have you seen the record player under the TV?”

“Uh, no… We have one?”

“Do you think I’ll make you buy this if we didn’t? Dumbfuck.” Taeyong tosses the disc in the backseat, looking quite pleased but still twitchy when Jaehyun didn’t respond.

The knife thrower is about to succumb to the spell of sleep when they finally park at the supermarket. Jaehyun nearly drags him out of the car when he refuses to budge, complaining about the other being ‘ _a pain in the butt!’_. He’s rightfully ignored in favor of filling the grocery basket with disposable spoons and plates, a roll of tissue and a pack of cigarettes. Only then at the sight of it he straightens, lessening Jaehyun’s burden.

“What else do you want?”

Taeyong points at a bag of candies, and another, and another before Jaehyun tears the tooth-rotting snack out of his grip and tosses it back in the shelf. The supermarket’s empty – except for a granny waiting at the pharmacy section.

Something catches Jaehyun’s attention and he immediately picks it up, showing the box to his companion.

“Hair dye.” Taeyong reads the label. “I don’t think burgundy suits you.”

Jaehyun drops the box in the basket and shrugs. “What do you think suits me? And that’s not for me. It’s for you.”

“The fuck are you on? You wanna play hairstylist with me?” Blue eyes glare at Jaehyun’s side profile, burning holes on it. “I’ve never dyed my hair before.”

“I think any shade of red suits you. Well you’re doing it now. You haven’t answered my question, too.”

“Ash blonde. Blonde. Red, too.”

Jaehyun jerks a little bit as Taeyong’s hand runs through his black hair, gently tugging the strands. It feels oddly nice but he tilts his head away, frowning. Taeyong doesn’t say a word, doesn’t show if Jaehyun’s action offended him. His face is back to that disturbingly straight one, completely unreadable.

The old lady’s gone when they pay for their items. While their goods are being scanned, Jaehyun checks the phone for any incoming call or message, finding that there’s still nothing from the HQ. He doesn’t know if he should worry, but a word or two from them would be nice. 

***

Taeyong quickly grabs the record player and true to his words, it’s actually beneath the TV, Jaehyun just missed it. The caramel-head quickly plugs it and sets the disc on, carefully putting the stylus over its periphery and soon, the soothing melody of jazz fills the cabin as _Rock With You_ plays, and Taeyong instantly grooves to the music, uncaring of his only audience.

“I didn’t know you could dance,” Jaehyun sets the plastic bag on the table, eyes darting over Taeyong’s hips.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Taeyong turns, smoothly halting as he looks at Jaehyun for a few seconds before moving again, sharp and precise, and fluid at the same time. His moves remind Jaehyun of a fish swimming against the current of the deep blue sea, light and natural.

“Like what?” Jaehyun dares, now focusing on the task of putting the grocers in their right places.

Taeyong hums, head bobbing to the beat while he follows every movement of the sharpshooter. He eventually plops on the couch, arm resting over the backrest and one of his legs is crossed over the other. “Like how I know when people hide things. Things that are most probably too embarrassing to admit so they keep it inside but you know what they say, Jaehyun? The eyes are the windows to the soul ㅡ and mind, I’m telling you. Wanna know what I think you’re hiding?”

Jaehyun closes the fridge and sits next to Taeyong, openly staring into the pair of azure eyes. “Yeah? What am I hiding?”

 _Rock With You_ ends, though they don’t notice it. Taeyong twirls a lock of hair around his index as his gaze travels down, stopping on Jaehyun’s slightly parted lips. They look so full and so inviting.

“I think you’re in denial.”

Jaehyun leans back, startled. “In denial. Care to elaborate?”

“You watch me more than necessary. I always feel your eyes on me, whenever you think I don’t know. Ever since the day you arrived in Red Phoenix. You were staring at me in the gym. Your eyes are on me, more specifically on my lips when I eat.”

“I have to watch you so you don’t do anything stupid.”

Taeyong scoffs, putting a little distance between him and Jaehyun. “What’s in my skull? 220. I know a fixation when I see it.”

“Fixation. Fixation on what, you? Ridiculous.” Jaehyun shakes his head with an airy chuckle. “You should work on those mindreading skills of yours.”

“I don’t read minds, I read actions.”

“You remind me of someone,” Jaehyun lips purse in thought, eyes turning into slits. “Risa Uehara.”

Taeyong shifts his body to the side to face Jaehyun, scandalized. “Are you shitting me? No way do I remind people of that persistent leech.”

“Justㅡ just the hair twirling you did. I think I saw her do that. Can’t really remember when. Maybe she picked that up from you; you know how obsessed she is with you, right?” The memory of her falling pathetically on her butt makes Jaehyun snort, and he quickly fights back the series of laughter bubbling in his chest. “Yuta hates your guts, by the way. Because he’s not getting laid. He’s eyeing Risa.”

“That bitch thinks I’m intriguing and that makes me hot. Her words, not mine.” Taeyong talks about her with so much disgust it’s almost funny. “I wasn’t there to fuck, alright. Nakamoto can have her for all I care.”

“She also told me something the first time we met,” Jaehyun smirks, highly amused about the grossed out expressions flashing across Taeyong’s face. “She said you don’t have friends. It was the day I went to the…the torture room.” Light shiver runs down Jaehyun’s skin, and he immediately shakes the thought off. “Told her I was visiting a friend.”

“Well, she wasn’t wrong.” Taeyong stares into a pair of black eyes, lasting several seconds before facing towards the TV. “But now I’ll have to refute that claim.”

Jaehyun hums, pressing.

“Because you’re a friend to me now, Jaehyun. You’re my first friend.”

Jaehyun stills, heart racing. Taeyong sounds uncharacteristically solemn. He wants to make the other look at him so he could search his eyes for any trace of deceit, but he doesn’t know what might happen if he grabs that perfectly sculpted face and pulls it close to his. He has in idea and he won’t welcome it. It’s supposed to make him shudder in revulsion, but he doesn’t.

“I guess you want further explanation. All I can say is no one else in Red Phoenix is half as interesting as you. When you joined the organization, you watched me instead of listening to your friend, that giant Johnny. I knew he was telling you shit about me. You didn’t leave the gym when you found me there, something everyone else does the second they sense my presence. You may dislike me like what you said, but _this_ is the longest interaction I’ve made with anyone in years. Fine, I’m a psychopath, crackhead, freak ㅡ call me whatever you want. I hate people and I won’t stop hating people, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

“That’s…” Jaehyun clears his throat, utterly shocked and speechless from the sudden confession. Taeyong had been nothing but _mad_ and impossible and Jaehyun’s headaches mostly rooted from his existence. This sincerity is too intimate and he wasn’t prepared.

“Keep it.” Taeyong gets off the couch and grabs his new pack of cigarettes. “That expects none from you.” He disappears behind the door of the bedroom, leaving Jaehyun on the couch to ask himself what the hell just transpired between them.

***

“Nice view.”

Jaehyun glances to his side and sees Taeyong with an insufferable smirk, a stick of cigarette casually pinched at the corner of his mouth. It’s unlit. Taeyong’s eyes rake down Jaehyun’s form as the other hovers over the hood of the car, checking inside. It’s hot, literally ㅡ the machine releasing a sizzling steam when Jaehyun doused it with water. The steam rises and hits the sharpshooter’s face which is already marred with some grease. His hair is a whole mess and he’s only wearing a body-fitting tee exposing his sweaty arms. Jaehyun looks like he ran a marathon.

“Hot fuckin’ mess.”

The heat of the sun beats down Jaehyun’s form, beads of sweat forming on his forehead before sliding down his brow, stinging his eye when the salty liquid mercilessly lands on it. He quickly pulls back, closing the hood before grabbing the rag on the roof to wipe off the grease on his face.

“I’m starting to think of the real reason why you keep rejecting Uehara,” Jaehyun walks around the car, opening the compartment to chuck the tools back inside, closing it with a thump. Taeyong stays where he is but his eyes follow wherever Jaehyun goes.

“You’re assuming things. I just know how to appreciate a meal when it’s offered.” Taeyong shakes the box of hair dye apathetically. “It’s been sitting in the bathroom for days. Thought it’s time for me to give it a shot.”

Jaehyun snatches it from his grasp and skims over the instruction, nodding. “Fine. Let me just clean up.” He pushes the box against Taeyong’s chest and stalks to the bathroom, quickly tearing the filthy shirt off of him, shrieking in surprise as Taeyong joins him inside and closes the door.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Figured I’d save time ㅡ waiting’s a bitch.” Taeyong says all so nonchalantly, taking off his shirt and exposing the lines of tattoos on his skin. A phoenix with its wings spread wide is inked on the expanse of his chest. There are words littering his right flank and on his back are letters dropping down the length of his spine, disappearing under the waistband of his pants.

Jaehyun shamelessly takes in the sight, whistling softly when Taeyong turns around to sit on a bench.

“Can’t I wash up first?” Jaehyun supposes it’s fine to get naked, trusting the other won’t pull a stunt and voyeur. He notes the way Taeyong stiffens as the last bit of Jaehyun’s clothing is chucked to the hamper. He doesn’t turn his head to steal a glimpse.

The Gold card shooter gets under the shower head, turning the knob and moaning lowly as hot water pours over him, washing off the grime and relaxing his tensed muscles. Taeyong still doesn’t move while the other soaps up and shampoos his hair, even when he’s done with all of that and is simply brushing his teeth, clean towel now concealing his lower region.

“I’m turning catatonic.”

“Who told you not to move anyway?” Jaehyun spits out the foam and gargles, rinsing his toothbrush before putting it back in the cup. He reaches over Taeyong’s shoulder, bare skin grazing Taeyong’s as he takes the hair dye.

After reading the steps to follow, Jaehyun sprays water over Taeyong’s head, dampening the hair just right before wearing the plastic gloves and squirting the red liquid on the mop of hair, tossing it in the bin when it’s empty and combs his fingers through Taeyong’s tresses, spreading the color from the scalp and down to the tips. There’s an abundant red on the top of his head and Jaehyun scoops it so he can apply it on the longer strands running down Taeyong’s back.

“Does your scalp sting?”

“A little. Is it a good thing?” Taeyong looks a little to the right, watching Jaehyun from his periphery.

“I’m not sure. Let’s hope this turns out nice.”

Jaehyun collects Taeyong’s long hair and dumps it on top of the other’s head so the dye doesn’t stick to his skin. He puts the free cap on to keep the hair in place and disposes the gloves, patting Taeyong’s shoulder, his hand lingering on the naked skin suspiciously.

“Wait for 30 minutes before rinsing to make sure it sticks. Show me when you’re done.”

***

He’s slouched on the couch, tossing Cheetos in his mouth while the newscaster’s robotic voice echoes from the TV when Taeyong comes out, only wrapped in a towel. His hair’s now blood red ㅡ it will fade a little as the days go by and remain its intended shade for a month or two. Jaehyun waits until the other’s completely dressed and sat comfortably next to him before reaching over to touch the wet, crimson strands.

“It’ll be more striking under the sun,” Jaehyun scans the other’s face and nods approvingly. “Looks good on you, I wonder what Risa’s going to do when she sees you again. Probably wet her pants.”

“Fuck off,” Taeyong swats his hand away and steals the bag of Cheetos. “It feels different. Got used to it being brown all my life. Does it really look good?”

“You look like an anime character. You’ve always looked like one, I guess. But it’s a hundred times better this time. Try black when it fades.”

“Black’s boring.” Taeyong munches on the junk food noisily, staring at the TV before nudging Jaehyun’s side. “It’s been a week.”

“I know.” Jaehyun huffs, glaring down the phone in his hand. Doyoung still hasn’t called ㅡ not anyone from the HQ. It’s a little suspicious how it’s too quiet, too calm. It feels too good to be true. They should be checking on the runaways, right?

_Are they being complacent or things are just going according to plan? What even is Red Phoenix’s plan?_

“We’re totally clueless as to what’s going on back there.”

“You don’t trust them?” Taeyong asks, sounding genuinely curious.

Jaehyun chuckles. That’s stupid, the thought of not trusting Red Phoenix when Invictus wouldn’t be where they are without the parent group. If anything, Jaehyun would give his life for Red Phoenix and its subgroup to maintain its reputation. His gaze suddenly glues on the window when he hears the unmistakable sound of revving engine. He’s off the couch in a blink if an eye, surreptitiously peeking through the small space between the curtain and the window.

A black car drives off, looking like it was parked prior from the slow speed of its wheels. It heads into the deeper part of the area.

Hot breath fans over his ear and the warmth of a body pressed against his back keeps Jaehyun rooted on his spot, blood rushing south.

“Who was that?” Taeyong’s voice is laced with honey when he speaks, smooth and deep. Jaehyun forces himself to pry out of the suffocating space, standing in the middle of the small living room.

“You know what,” Jaehyun ignores the question, huffing indifferently. “I still can’t believe you’re the Kingpin’s son. Red Phoenix’s _heir._ ” Jaehyun spits, the word acidic in his mouth. “Think you can handle it? Considering the way your head works.”

Taeyong crumples the bag of Cheetos and stuffs it in a nook on the couch. “I don’t even want Red Phoenix.” He walks past Jaehyun and straight into the bedroom, rummaging through the small closet and cursing when he doesn’t find what he’s looking for. Jaehyun welcomes himself in, sitting on the bed and watching Taeyong move around agitatedly, hands twitching.

“Where the fuckㅡ oh.” Taeyong pats the pocket of his jeans hanging on a nail impaled on the wall and takes out his box of cigarettes, quickly lighting out a stick, sighing in relief when the nicotine invades his system.

Jaehyun observes in silence, scooting back until he’s pressed against the headboard. Might as well take advantage of the first and last time he’s resting on this bed with Taeyong sitting barely two feet away from him. His limbs have been hurting from being curled up unpleasantly on the couch.

Taeyong’s eyes are close, contented with the quietness that befalls them.

“Are we going to live like this? Off the radar, hiding? I signed up for some action, you know. Really hoping I get to be important enough in the organization to handle dealings overseas. But I’m stuck here babysitting a deranged killer.”

The heir of Red Phoenix blows out a cloud of smoke, watching it evaporate into the air. “No one forced you to come here with me.”

“Are you serious? Your father did force me. If I defy, I don’t get to keep the job. I’ll be stuck in Invictus as a subordinate of a subordinate. I don’t have a say.” Frustration starts to boil in Jaehyun’s chest, searing as it spreads all over his body.

The redhead clicks his tongue in annoyance, flicking off the ash from the stick. “I don’t need you here; you can go back for fuck’s sake. Stop fucking complaining?” Taeyong growls, clenching his fist.

“The Kingpin appointedㅡ“

“Yaddah yaddah,” Taeyong interjects rudely, waving a dismissive hand. “Fuck that shit, the subject at hand is me so don’t talk about him.”

Jaehyun shoots a blank stare. “He’s the boss.”

“I said I don’t need you. It’s my feelings you gotta take into consideration.”

“You don’t exactly have that.”

Taeyong pins him a funny look. “Point taken.”

Silence stretches between them again as Jaehyun racks his brain for any sort of plan ㅡ it’s weird that Red Phoenix isn’t trying to reach them through any means. What if something unimaginable ensues and there’s no one to call?

“What are we gonna do?” Worry teeters on the edge of his voice, the telltale sign of a forthcoming crippling anxiety.

“Hide. Didn’t you just fucking say you can’t go against the boss, you fuckin’ amnesiac?” The cigarette is thrown on the floor before getting messily stomped on.  

Jaehyun is caught off guard by the show of untidiness, grabbing Taeyong by the scruff and tossing him down the bed. “You’re fucking insufferable!”

“Release my neck you son of a bitch!” Taeyong rolls over, knocking Jaehyun down his back with a kick of his knee against the other’s abdomen, taking over as he straddles Jaehyun to pin the younger down, preventing him from getting back up. He’s not even contented with it as his hands wrap tight around Jaehyun’s throat, blue eyes darkening at the sight of the Gold card shooter squirming beneath his weight, clawing at his hands.

“Fuckin’ stop it already Taeyong!” Jaehyun kicks, trying to send Taeyong toppling over but to no avail. His menacing glare doesn’t affect Taeyong in any way. If anything, it seems to fuel the other’s madness as the grip tightens like vice, seizing him like a snake and cutting off his oxygen supply.

Taeyong’s sinister grin widens and for a moment Jaehyun feels a rush of fear. “No. I enjoy watching you break piece by piece in my hands.”

“Fuckㅡ I _can’t_ fucking breathe.” Red gradually colors his face and he starts to see black splotches. “L-let go! I don’t wanna hurt youㅡ”

“Aww pretty boy, what are you gonna do?” Taeyong laughs, tears brimming around his eyes while Jaehyun seems to give up the fight. “Hm? What are you gonna do, call for daddy? That’s right. Call for daddy to save you from the murderer!”

Jaehyun gathers what’s left of his energy and punches Taeyong square on the jaw, the impact pushing the other off of him and Taeyong’s head hits the bedpost with a thump while Jaehyun quickly sits up with loud, labored breathing as he gasps for air.

“You bitch!” Taeyong screams, cupping the back of his head. “That fucking hurts!”

“I’d do more than that if you don’t get away from me right this instant.” Jaehyun rubs his throat and winces, feeling it protest under his own touch. “Why the fuck did you do that?!”

“Are you shitting me? We’re in a tiny ass cabin- where the fuck do I go? _I ain’t about to sleep underground,_ _that’s one helluvan oven._ ” English spills from the knife thrower’s mouth as he rubs the assaulted part of his head, cursing the already growing bump.

“… Just shut up, please. Smoke that fucking cigar, burn your throatㅡ whatever, and stop your tics it’s distracting!”

“What did my tics ever do to you,” Taeyong pushes himself to sit next to Jaehyun, still rubbing the bump on his head.

Jaehyun drags his own butt away. “I can’t stand you.”

“Is that really it?”

Jaehyun glares harder before forcing himself off the bed, disappearing shortly and returning with an ice bag, yanking Taeyong close to him as he presses the cold compress on the bump. Taeyong surprisingly keeps still while he’s sprawled on his stomach across Jaehyun’s lap.

“You’re crazy. I can’t believe they didn’t lock you up in the mental facility.” Jaehyun presses the cold compress harder on the bump just to hear Taeyong whine, instantly feeling smug as Taeyong does just that.

“Don’t fuck with me,” Taeyong squirms a bit, finding a more comfortable position without Jaehyun’s knees digging on his ribcage. “I’ll find a way to escape even the maximum security prison.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Correction ㅡ improbable, but not impossible. I believe at this point you should know I will outsmart them all, alright.”

“How?” Parting the older’s hair, Jaehyun’s eyes narrow to check the bump. It doesn’t look serious. He hopes the other didn’t get a concussion.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Nosy ass shit.” Taeyong huffs, eyes closing just as Jaehyun starts running his fingers through the newly dyed hair. It still feels soft even after the chemical was applied to it though it gives off a strong scent that makes Jaehyun’s head ache. _Hopefully it disappears soon_ , he thinks to himself.

No response comes from Taeyong. His eyes are close, posture lax. He has completely put his guard down, something Jaehyun least expects knowing Taeyong hates it when people breathe in his direction.

He recounts the conversation they had, the sudden confession from Taeyong. It’s odd – they’re polar opposites. The human life still matters to Jaehyun depending on the situation. He has boiling emotions and the capability to think twice, to weigh his decisions and come up with a concrete goal for whatever lies ahead of him. Taeyong on the other hand has one thing and one thing only to care for, and that is to achieve things on his own no matter the consequence. Innocent lives do not concern him and his heart is devoid of feelings. This friendship will do Jaehyun no good. Taeyong is mistaking his lack of outward hostility as him understanding Taeyong’s mindset.

But for a reason he’s yet to know, Jaehyun remains where he is. The will to stand up and escape the foreboding catastrophe is absent from all the fiber of his being. He can leave this place and go back to Invictus or join another organization, go anywhere – far away from the mess that Red Phoenix had started.

Yet he doesn’t.

What would happen if they didn’t counter Dragonaire? The fallen organization was a third-rate when it came to their capability to close deals and build a stronger network. Red Phoenix could’ve just let it go, but their greed for power and money tested a challenger. A challenger doesn’t back down easily. Dragonaire is a silent killer.

And if they didn’t get too personal with the enemy, would Jaehyun have this rare interaction with the epitome of perplexity called Lee Taeyong? Jaehyun wants to bang his head against the wall until it shatters. Lee Taeyong is ruining his life with a thrill.

He’s starting to think the other has fallen asleep when Taeyong speaks, slightly startling Jaehyun. “That feels nice. Your fingers feel nice.” The sexual innuendo makes Jaehyun roll his eyes. Taeyong may dislike contact, but he’s a maddening flirt.

“This is the most normal I’ve ever seen you.”

“I’m out of it.” Taeyong pushes himself off of Jaehyun’s lap and grabs the cold compress, pressing it on the bump without Jaehyun’s aid. He settles next to Jaehyun again, chewing on his thumb while slightly rocking back and forth, eyes empty as he stares into the blank space ahead of him.

Jaehyun grunts. “Stop twitching, dammit.”

“I’m gonna fucking convulse, asshole. Gimme that pack.” Taeyong tosses the cold compress haphazardly, uncaring where it lands.

“What does it meanㅡ“

Taeyong’s hands tremble as he shoves the pack against his palm, hissing when the sticks scatter on the bed instead. “I’m supposed to have a session but we’re stuck in here. I get this urge to fucking kill and I have to be stopped.” He picks up a cigarette and sticks it between his lips, eyeing Jaehyun mischievously. “Would you like to play doctor and tame my demons, dimple boy?”

Jaehyun’s skin crawls. “Stop talking garbage.”

“Bullshit!” Taeyong swears, startling Jaehyun. Seriously, Jaehyun needs to stop jerking at every episode of Taeyong’s moodiness. “If I knew, you’d be up for that if I wasn’t sick in the head. I’m not sick in the head, I’m also not cursed. Only my mother thought that way.”

The mention of Taeyong’s mother grabs Jaehyun’s attention. “Tell me more.”

The redhead snorts, chucking the cigarette stick away when he can’t find the lighter ㅡ and if he only focuses and looks at the nightstand beside Jaehyun, he’d see it. “Nosy little shit. Alright, come aboard the roller coaster and buckle up. Well, as a kid I had – still have weird quirks, clawed down other kids’ faces and giggle when they cry because what can I do, it’s music to my ears when they wail and scream pathetically. I’m that crazy little boy who watches gore and asked her one day if I could shoot people instead because I didn’t want to take an afternoon nap. Cut my little sister’s finger with a bread knife on her birthday because the icing on her cake was pink, I wanted it red. I made no friends because the news instantly spread and reached these mommy pigs and they locked their kids in their houses.” Taeyong narrates with so much hatred eliciting from his tongue, each word acidic and lethal. “Mother made no action to right their assumptions. Yeah I hurt the kids but only because they were so stupid. I wouldn’t hurt them if they weren’t, alright. She hit me, called me names so much that they don’t affect me now, hid my sister away from me. That whore hated me and I hate her too.”

The words swirl in Jaehyun’s head, creating the image of a younger Taeyong already inflicting pain on others and thinking it was justifiable.

“Learned knife throwing during the nights they were knocked out. Namgyu left before I knew about his job, if you’re curious about that. Us meeting again was pure coincidence.”

“What did Jaeseok say…for you to kill him?”

Taeyong raises a brow, smirking. “Should I say something sarcastic first? Should I answer at all? I know that’s been haunting you.”

“Up to you. But we don’t exactly have all the time in the world.” Jaehyun shrugs, eyeing Taeyong’s fringe. Before he can even realize it, he’s already brushing the hair to the side, exposing the red haired man’s forehead. Taeyong is looking at him with amusement and something else that Jaehyun chooses to ignore. He quickly withdraws his hand when he’s satisfied with the way Taeyong’s hair is brushed, making the knife thrower look even more ethereal, if that’s possible.

“So caring. The bastard said my mother’s a whore.”

“That hit a nerve?” Jaehyun’s in disbelief. “But you just called her a whore.”

Taeyong nods, lips pursing. “Yeah, but I’m the only one who can call her that.”

“Where is she?”

“Dunno. Hopefully far away from here with my sister so they don’t give me problems.”

“You’re worried.” Jaehyun states matter-of-factly.

“Well,” Taeyong drawls, stretching out his legs with a groan. “That isn’t rocket science.”

“Is that why you’re like this?” This conversation piques Jaehyun’s attention. Taeyong is unraveling himself without much of a fight.

“I don’t know, that’s what my therapist says but who knows, really? I’m not sick. Whoever thinks I’m sick is sick. People love to act smart.”

“You torture to relieve that urge, Taeyong.” Jaehyun reminds him slowly, patiently. “There’s no one to hurt here unless you give me a try but I won’t let you, of course. So what now? Can’t let you go berserk.”

Taeyong doesn’t take the word well, glowering. “What am I, a fucking animal?”

Jaehyun shrugs, shaking his head. “Suggestions?”

The redhead doesn’t respond right away. Taeyong’s eyes tell him the answer as they rake down his torso, stopping on his crotch. Jaehyun instantly folds his legs to hide it from Taeyong’s view.

“No, I’m not fucking you. I’m not gaㅡ“

“I’m not gay, asshole.” Taeyong chuckles as he prowls toward Jaehyun, caging the other between his arms. “But get this. No one’s around and it’s not like you’re narrow-minded about shit like this. It’s casual. I need it. You wanna tame my urges and you’ll do anything for me not to go out and kill. You’re stressed, I’m stressed. It’s beneficial, right? You also think I’m pretty.”

Jaehyun opens his mouth, ready to deny the redhead’s persuasion. Taeyong beats him to it with a whisper, brushing his lips over Jaehyun’s lobe.

“So what? I’m up for it. Are you?”

When Jaehyun looks straight into Taeyong’s blue eyes, all of his resolve vanishes out of the window. Fuck it, he’ll allow himself this much for once. Jaehyun will let go for once. He’s been living through rules, following what’s in the book and trying not to mess up. Tonight he’s going to let go and see what it’s like not to give a damn.

Taeyong sends his mind into a haywire as thin lips capture his in a ferocious kiss, stealing his breath away quite literally. Jaehyun responds as eagerly as he can, matching the fire that fuels Taeyong into action. Cold, trembling fingers slide under his shirt, brushing over his hypersensitive skin and leaving goosebumps in their trail. Taeyong only breaks the kiss to allow them both a single intake of air and to pull Jaehyun’s shirt out of the way before doing the same to his own.

Jaehyun is the one to initiate the kiss this time, tongue quickly delving into the warm mouth and lapping at the slick tongue slithering around his, forcing a delicious moan out of them both. His hands find purchase on Taeyong’s back, caressing the black ink down the latter’s spine, fingers hooking under the hindering waistband. He keeps his hands there and pulls Taeyong closer, kissing him so hotly that he wants to devour _all_ of the redhead. Taeyong’s hands clutch his hair, pulling.

“What does the tattoo say,” Jaehyun gasps over Taeyong’s mouth, arching into the body against his.

“ _Le mal est parmi nous_ ,” Taeyong groans, shuddering from the fleeting brush of Jaehyun’s tongue along his collarbone, hissing when Jaehyun bites down hard, tearing the skin and lapping off the blood after. “The evil is among us.”

Jaehyun’s chest rumble with laughter before wiggling a bit so he can lie down and let Taeyong straddle his hips. “Where do you think it is? Is it watching us?”

The man on top of him halts his movements, sparkling azure eyes meeting Jaehyun's coal black ones. 

"You're looking at it right now."

An insistent hand unbuttons Jaehyun’s jeans, pulling it down after. The black haired man watches as Taeyong kicks off his own pants and soon they’re left bare, skin uncovered for their eyes to drink in. Taeyong sits right on top of his crotch and grabs Jaehyun’s hand, making it wrap around his cock before his own circle Jaehyun’s, tugging deliciously.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun groans, pumping Taeyong’s cock languidly. The skin feels hot in his palm, pulsing and throbbing and it twitches when Jaehyun thumbs down the underside of the tip, moaning when the slit oozes out precum. His own isn’t much differentㅡhot and heavy in Taeyong’s hand and embarrassingly twitches as Taeyong grinds, their balls rubbing.

Taeyong looks so sexy on top of him, grunting and shuddering as his breath hitches whenever Jaehyun thumbs on the swollen tip of his length. He’s flushed from the face down to his chest, and his stomach flexes when Jaehyun begins grinding back, rutting against him.

“Shit, that feels good. Keep doin’ that.” Taeyong huffs out, staring at Jaehyun with eyes blown out in lust. He audaciously bites his lip, riling up Jaehyun even more and making the other speed up the pace of his strokes, set to push Taeyong over the edge.

Jaehyun’s free hand traipses the side of Taeyong’s face, cupping his cheek before pulling him down. But they don’t kiss again. Jaehyun only stares at the face of the killer he unwillingly harbors, committing each sharpness and gentleness of his features to memory. Taeyong’s lips are parted as he pants, the tip of his tongue shyly poking out and pressing against the corner of his mouth.

“Touch me.” Taeyong breathes out heavily, pressing his forehead on Jaehyun’s. Their eyes close at the same time and Jaehyun clutches the long strands of red hair as tight as he can, tugging and yanking Taeyong’s head back just as the redhead cries out in ecstasy, shooting out his load on Jaehyun’s stomach, with some landing on the latter’s chest.

The sight of Taeyong crumbling in pleasure because of him forces Jaehyun to follow, his hips stuttering as he releases strings of cum. Taeyong milks him through his orgasm and they both ride out their high until their spent bodies give out and Taeyong rolls to his side, panting.

They stare up at the ceiling for a while, waiting for the heat in their bodies to cool down. Jaehyun grabs his discarded shirt from the floor and wipes the mess on his skin, tossing the shirt to Taeyong once he’s done. Taeyong does the same to the slowly drying white on his hand.

“God, that was good.” Taeyong looks at him with a sated grin, face still a little red. “You think it’s good, right?”

Jaehyun flips him off and Taeyong doubles over in laughter, only calming down when Jaehyun threatens to set him on fire.

“I’ll take that as a yes. If I knew that would feel like being high on crack then I’ve done it ages ago. Maybe when we met at the gym.”

Jaehyun’s brows furrow as he puts a pillow over his crotch. Taeyong remains casually lying there, stark naked. It seems that nudity isn’t a big deal to him. “What?”

“Haven’t heard of virgins?”

Jaehyun almost chokes at what he heard. “No- wait- what? Even jerking off?”

Taeyong scoffs and sits up, resting against the headboard. His hands have stopped twitching so the cigarette stick doesn’t fall anymore when he picks up one, curtly telling Jaehyun to hand him the lighter. He inhales a lungful of it, releasing the smoke through his nose. “Fuck you I do jerk off. I make use of my hand every now and then. I meant doing it with someone else.”

“Okay… Should I be flattered I’m your first?”

“You should be.” Taeyong runs a hand through his hair, brushing a portion to the side and flattening it. He doesn’t tell Jaehyun it’s because he knows Jaehyun likes it when it’s parted.

“What’s with your hair- I mean, why are you growing it that long?” Jaehyun’s eyes glue themselves on the long, red tresses splayed down Taeyong’s chest.

“Hah, oh yeah. You have this fixation on my hair. I like it long. That was actually a mullet, but I stopped trimming it, just kept the tops short and let the base grow.”

“I know that’s called a mullet. Now feed my fixation.”

Taeyong gives him a ‘what are you on’ look before rolling his eyes after realizing Jaehyun’s serious. “My sister said I’d look good with long hair. Like those princes or warriors in manga whatever she reads.”

“I knew it.” Jaehyun mumbles.

“What. You read those too?” Taeyong simpers in disbelief. “Gay shit.”

Jaehyun gasps, feigning a look of being offended. “That’s so homophobic of you, considering you talked me into masturbating with _you,_ of all people. This is the first time I touched someone else’s dick, by the way. And stop smoking, it’s dangerous for me.”

Taeyong smirks and exhales the smoke right onto Jaehyun’s face. “It’s my own way of killing you without alarming you, so let me.”

“You stopped twitching, though.”

“Yeah. Happens when I’m sated.”

Conceit etches all over Jaehyun’s features. Suddenly he doesn’t mind the fact he just had sex with another man. “You’re welcome.”

“Eurgh. Bite me.” Taeyong gets off the bed and walks over to the mini closet, limp dick dangling between his legs. He rummages for a whole minute before throwing a paper and a pen on Jaehyun’s chest. “Can you draw?”

Jaehyun pins him a look of incredulity, picking up the paper. “…Please don’t say it.”

Leaning against the closet, the redhead displays his nudity. “What, it’s valid. I’m naked and I’m French. Come on, Jack. _Draw me like one of your French girls._ Except that I have a dick.” He utters in a mixture of Korean, English and horrible humor.

Jaehyun can only sigh, torn between strangling Taeyong and actually taking him up on his offer. The only sad thing is he can’t draw.

_What the hell. I really got to have Lee Taeyong like that, huh. Jung, 1. Uehara, 0._

The black haired sharpshooter laughs at his internal monologue. He can’t wait to go back to Red Phoenix and leave everyone gawking at the news.

0o0o0

“Did we run out of cereal?”

“Do you see any cereal there?”

“I don’t.”

“Then Lee Taeyong, for your 220 IQ’s information, we ran out of cereal.” Jaehyun double checks the safety on his gun and slips it in the holster, before putting it back in the bag. He’s just about to ask the redhead if he wants anything else to eat when the phone Doyoung gave rings. But Taeyong’s faster than him ㅡ faster than anyone else and picks up the call, eyes hard. Jaehyun knows it means bad news.

“Talk.” Taeyong curtly tells the other line.

Jaehyun watches him, waiting for anything – Taeyong doesn’t react to anything he hears from the other line, Taeyong’s face doesn’t twitch, his eyes don’t blink and his lips remain pressed in a firm line.

But when Jaehyun looks down and sees Taeyong’s hand twitch, he doesn’t waste a second and walks out, straight to where their car is. He plucks out some kind of paper stuck beneath one of the wipers and flips it over.

What he sees mutes him. Knowing he’s got no time to dawdle, Jaehyun returns to Taeyong whose standing unmoving in the middle of the living room, the phone broken into pieces beneath the sole of his shoe.

“Taeyong.”

The redhead snatches the photo out of Jaehyun’s hand and stares at it, hard and chilling. There on the picture are the bodies of his father and his sister, bare of clothes with their skins carved to make out the words _‘C’est la guerre’._ As he stares longer, Taeyong eventually sees the anguish laced on the face of his dead sister and wonders just how much pain she endured before giving up. He could care less about his father ㅡ he probably deserved that for abandoning his family but his sister, his sweet little sister shouldn’t even be in this picture. His mother had most likely been taken for the pleasure of these men.

“What a whore,” Taeyong mumbles before ripping the photo in half. He then pushes Jaehyun out of the way and kneels, removing several of the floorboard. It reveals an entryway leading to the basement and Taeyong quickly climbs down with Jaehyun in tow.

“What the fuck. You didn’t tell me about this.” Jaehyun looks over the array of blades hanging on the walls. Taeyong dumps a metal box on a wooden table in the middle of the dark basement, their only source of light coming from upstairs. He takes out a couple of other blades, cursing loudly when the electroshock fails to work.

“This was made for emergency purposes. You only needed to know when there’s an emergency. Here.” Taeyong flings loaded magazines at him. “It’s not Doyoung, alright. It’s Dragonaire’s Kim Taejun. Apparently our men had been killed. They captured your friends, though. I needed to clarify that so you won’t be too sad. He said your guys will be useful to rebuild their org. Now,” Taeyong cocks a gun he retrieved from the box and aims at the wall, impaling a bullet on it. “Red Phoenix _was_ strong. But Dragonaire’s wiser than they were given credit. Moon Taeil must have overlooked that part. If you’re thinking of calling for help, save it. You don’t drag business affiliates into personal disputes. Surely you don’t want Invictus suffering too, yeah?”

“So we’re in this alone. What else did they tell you?”

“Tomorrow. They want me by their feet tomorrow, dead or alive. Apparently my organs will sell high in the black market, so it doesn’t matter if I come festering.” Taeyong puts the gun down and scribbles something on a paper. It looks like the basement keeps all stuff the redhead must’ve used before. Taeyong slaps the paper on Jaehyun’s chest.

Jaehyun reads it over and over again until he concludes he doesn’t really get it, peering obliviously at Taeyong. “It’s the org’s graveyard. What are you planning to do?”

Taeyong grins and carelessly closes the metal box, its steely noise vibrating in the basement. “You’ll see.”

 

***

After all the times he’s spent with the crazed redhead, Jaehyun realizes he still doesn’t get the way Taeyong’s mind works. Most of his thoughts are spontaneous, out of this world, something that a mentally healthy person wouldn’t even consider. Now, as the said redhead trudges past gravestones carrying a shovel, the edges of his black suit jacket flapping against the wind, Jaehyun thinks that maybe having a lower IQ than 220’s a blessing in disguise.

“You’re not thinking of digging their graves in advance, are you?”

“Nope,” Taeyong continues to walk, dangerously swinging the shovel back and forth with a happy tune whistling from him. Jaehyun collides against his back when he abruptly halts, turning to face a grave without a stone perched on it. “Do you know that when an enemy dies in the hands of a Red Phoenix member, they get a decent burial in the org’s graveyard? The difference is thatㅡ” Taeyong points at a random grave. “The enemies don’t get stones with their names on it, because they don’t deserve to be recognized.” Before Jaehyun can even form a coherent response, Taeyong drives the shovel down the ground, digging.

“What are you doing?!”

Taeyong ignores him, continuing to dig the soil. Jaehyun can’t even express how ridiculous the other’s acting. He takes a few steps back and watches intently, skin crawling at whatever gut-lurching plans Taeyong has in his senseless head.

Finally the grave’s dug, a mountain of soil piled next to the open ground. Taeyong forcefully wrenches the casket open and Jaehyun watches in absolute horror as the redhead stomps on Jaeseok’s chest, grabs the corpse’s hair and yanks the head from the body, decapitating it.

“Holy shitㅡ are you out of your goddamn mind?!”

“You dare ask me that?” Taeyong raises the decapitated head, leveling it to his face. “It’s too late to realize you fucked with the wrong guy, Jaehyun.”

“Really.” Jaehyun releases an exasperated sigh, pinning him an incensed glare. “My bad, your highness.”

Taeyong juggles the head on either hand, tossing it back and forth. “Ahuh, what do you think I am?”

“A crazy bastard. The most sought after criminal in Korean mafia.”

“Korean, huh. Say,” Taeyong tucks the head between his feet and looks around, his hair blowing through the cold breeze. “You think they’d let me go if I tell them I’m a French citizen?”

Jaehyun’s lips purse, resisting the urge to laugh at the terrible joke. He checks the time on his wristwatch and dusts off the shoulder of his suit before signaling Taeyong to start heading back to the car.

“Pray that Taejun’s insane enough to let you go.”

0o0o0

They’re hidden behind a wall at an abandoned building’s rooftop, arriving earlier than the enemy. Jaehyun pats the guns on each side of his hip and exhales the breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Don’t the knives cut your skin? I seriously don’t know how you’re hiding them well.”

“If anyone did, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore. Get your head out of things you don’t understand, Jaehyun.” Taeyong takes a furtive peek, eyes turning into slits at the sight of a few men casually exiting a van. Ten. Ten people are waiting to put bullets in their chests. One of them looks painfully familiar and after a few more seconds of staring, he recognizes Yuta. _Of course, they took our gunman to pit him against us._  

“Should’ve killed everyone back there when we had the chance.”

Jaehyun tugs him back. “So what’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Taeyong looks at his palm, head leaning back a little as though he was a farsighted person trying to read sentences that aren’t even there. “The plan is to not get killed.”

Jaehyun chuckles, staring down his feet while thinking of the number of men waiting for the both of them. “This is a war we won’t win.”

“You think that didn’t cross my mind? Actually, it really didn’t. The question is – are you going to stay?” Blue eyes search black ones, hoping for an answer Taeyong doesn’t even need to ask.

“With you?”

“Don’t act like a lovestruck teenager now, for christ’s sake. You know what I mean – will you fight?”

Jaehyun pulls out a gun and cocks it, smirking. “With you.”

Taeyong grumbles quietly, hand roughly combing through his hair. “Disgusting piece of shit.”

“Ha. Because you know, somehow I’ve been tainted and I can’t see myself standing anywhere else but next to you.” He adds an extra coyness to his tone just to piss off the redhead. Jaehyun triumphs.

Taeyong picks up the head by the hair and swings it over his shoulder. “Save the sap for later ㅡ let’s work on your homosexual tendencies after this.”

The redhead finally comes out of their hiding place, looking down on the remaining Dragonaire members from his spot on the rooftop. He feels like a _god_ like this, looking down on the men secondary to him. His blue eyes shortly give Yuta a lofty glance possessing something more than a prompting arrogance before meeting the eyes of the man whose son was grotesquely murdered by him.

“Lee Taeyong. I’ve been looking for you. I was informed that you cowardly ran away with a Gold card. Why did a supposed strong, resilient Red Phoenix heir dote on a subordinate?” Kim Taejun sports a sarcastic smile, palm open for an ally to place a gun on it. “Your father begged me not to harm you. Come to think of it, Lee Namgyu belittled Dragonaire only to meet his death in the hands of its leader. Not to mention your sister, adorable Taehee. Cried so hard for me to spare her big brother.”

Taeyong’s face is blank, indifferent to the eyes of the enemy. Jaehyun stands a fair distance away from him, gun ready.

“Your mother’s serving a good purpose to us, if you’re wondering.”

“Well,” Taeyong starts. “Thank you for the information I didn’t ask from you, but I believe I also have something for you, if you’re not picky with gifts. This one’s kind of cheap. I didn’t have much money on me. If I had some, I’d renovate your wiped out HQ.” Before Taejun can open his mouth, Taeyong tosses the decapitated head to the Kingpin’s feet, the loud thud reverberating in the sudden quietness of the place. Kim Jaeseok’s head pathetically rolls until it hits Taejun’s foot, and the father exclaims in terror at the sight of his dead son’s face ㅡ lips torn off to expose the incomplete set of teeth.

“Sorry about the teeth, by the way. I got carried away plucking it out with a plier while he screamed. It sounded cute. I had it recorded ㅡ if you wanna listen?”

Taejun trembles as he picks up the head of his son, glowering threateningly at the redhead. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

Taeyong quickly evades the raining bullets, running off somewhere as Jaehyun hides behind the wall, shooting back at the enemy.

“Fuck this!” Jaehyun pushes himself off and runs across the vast rooftop, aiming at the men and successfully shooting two straight between their eyes. Yuta had long disappeared before the firing started and Jaehyun can only hope the other still sided with him.

Taeyong lurks behind a pillar, unseen by the Dragonaire men before hurling knives at their unsuspecting forms, watching them writhe as blood squirt out of their jugulars. Taejun shoots aimlessly, panic clearly written over his wrinkly face, having no idea where the knife thrower is.

The Kingpin shouts as he shoots everywhere, not spotting his target. Jaehyun lets out a series of curses as reinforcement arrives and reloads his guns, momentarily coming out of his hiding spot to shoot either at the heads or chests of the gunmen.

“Jaehyun!” He whips around to look at whoever called him only to see Yuta running ducked in protection to his spot. The Japanese picks up something from the ground and slaps it against Jaehyun’s chest.

“Don’t fucking lose your card!”

Yuta straightens and shoots, determined to put each of his bullet straight to the enemies’ hearts. “This is for the boss! Doyoung! Johnny! Ten! Winwin! Take it you motherfuckers!”

Jaehyun momentarily gets struck at the display of Yuta’s willpower, remembering his original purpose when he joined Red Phoenix. A surge of intense emotion fills him as he stands next to his comrade, shooting back at the men who had wiped out their own.

***

Back on the ground floor, Taeyong expertly sidesteps the shots aimed at his spot with insane agility, tossing a new batch of knives from his belt, swiftly cutting through the air and disarming several more Dragonaire men.

“Fucking…” He’s running out of blades and he can’t risk sprinting out to retrieve the ones impaled on the dead bodies littering the area. Taejun still fails to figure out where to shoot as he changes places to avoid exposing where he is and deep inside Taeyong laughs at their stupidity, once again reminded of the reason Dragonaire was at the bottom of the competition.

He turns around to face the targets as he’s pulled out of a sudden reverie when, unexpectedly, he gets yanked back by the hair and forcefully dragged out in the open area. Taeyong glares at the men pointing their guns at him before his gaze shifts to where Jaehyun is, slightly pleased to find Yuta with him.

Taejun laughs maniacally behind him and clutches his hair harder, tugging his head back and digging the muzzle of the gun on Taeyong’s side.

“Some hair of a woman you got here.”

Taeyong smirks. “Heh. What makes you think it’s an insult, when you’re not even half of a man that I am.”

The knife thrower takes the Kingpin by surprise as he slices his tresses short with a blade and kicks off another man’s gun out his grip before knocking the weapon out of Taejun’s hold all in a matter of seconds, mentally celebrating at their slow reflexes. The men had dropped to the ground one by one as Yuta and Jaehyun rain bullets until their defense stops and five new men appear for Dragonaire’s aid.

He feels a burning sensation on his left arm and finds that it’s bleeding. Another bullet grazes the side of his head and Taeyong drops on his knees, appearing to be gradually losing his strength.

“Taeyong!” Jaehyun cries out, about to run to the redhead when Yuta yanks him back harshly.

“Don’t fucking go there. We don’t have bullets anymore!” Yuta starts pulling at the other’s arm, frustrated at Jaehyun’s resistance. “We’re going to get killed! Come on! Johnny’s driving one of the vans; we’ll escape and pick up the others.”

“But Taeyongㅡ“

Yuta grips the collar of Jaehyun’s suit and hauls him up, face contorted in rage. “It’s not worth it! He had it coming! Weren’t you so against keeping him hidden?!” The Silver card shooter reminds Jaehyun of the reality he has long forgotten but he doesn’t feel the expected emotions he initially had over the thought of saving Lee Taeyong. Jaehyun peers at Taeyong’s state, livid that he’s so powerless.

He lets Yuta drag him out of the place without anyone catching them and quickly gets in a van, not bothering to acknowledge Johnny’s presence as the vehicle speeds off, his mind in a state of chaos as Taeyong’s pained expression appears even as he shuts his eyes close, willing the tears to stop.

“Don’t shoot!” Taejun orders his men and harshly pulls Taeyong to stand with a merciless grip on his injured arm, reveling in the way the redhead screams in agony.

“I need him alive. Thought we should let him feel how my son felt through his suffering.” The Kingpin carelessly pushes him into the arm for an awaiting ally, and Taeyong limps on the way to one of the vans, head lolling back as he sways on the edge of falling unconscious.

He feels his arm get tied up with a cloth to slow down the bleeding before the world turns black.

***

“You sure we don’t have to chain him?”

“Don’t be a fool; we don’t have the sufficient equipment. Plus he’s already weak, we haven’t taken out the bullet and he’s losing blood.”

The first thing he registers when his eyes open is the bleary sight of a Dragonaire member sat in front of him, watching him like a hawk. Taeyong’s eyes flutter slowly as they adjust under the bright white light. The room he’s in is small, walls cracked and the dirty green paint peeled off.

“The sleeping beauty’s awake,” The unknown man sing-songs annoyingly. Taeyong remains immobile, appearing to be drained of energy. “That’s good. We can start our playtime now.”

The balding man stands up and approaches his companion. The other leaves with a huff and soon they’re alone, and Taeyong keeps his act of vulnerability.

Sporting a perverted grin, the man approaches their hostage and runs his grimy finger along Taeyong’s jawline. “What a waste of a pretty face. You shouldn’t have cut your hair. It’s going to be thrilling when I pull on it as I hit it roughly from the back.”

The finger leaves him and the man circles his limp body before heading to the corner where an array of tools awaits to be used.

“Hm, what should I use first?”

Taeyong glares at the back of the man’s head as the latter takes his time to choose among his limited options. The knife thrower mentally countsㅡ _one, two, three_ _ㅡ_ eyes never leaving the foolish Dragonaire slave as his hand trails down the length of his leg, pulling out a blade strapped to his calf.

A funny tune fills the room coming from the unsuspecting captor. Taeyong pads across as silent as he can, immensely delighted at the other’s obliviousness and how things are working out in his favor.

“Should I pick this to cut throㅡ“

Taeyong grabs the man’s head, pulling it back in a dangerously odd angle and lunges the knife down the man’s gaping mouth with tremendous force that it slices his tongue in half and pierces through the back of his neck. The redhead watches in sick fascination as blood fills the bastard’s mouth, overflowing and dripping down the damp, pungent floor.  

A squelch reaches his ears as Taeyong wrenches out the blade with a violent twist. The lifeless body hits the floor with a thud. Taeyong looks around, eyeing the row of tools and grinning at the sight of three knives varying in sizes and purpose, sharpened to perfection. He straps them under his shirt before picking up a half empty bottle of cheap alcohol that the man must have been drinking, chugging the content and ignoring the nasty burn of the liquid down his throat. He quickly shrugs off his suit jacket and rolls up the sleeve of his undershirt to examine the bullet wound, seeing that it isn’t bleeding much anymore. Taeyong quickly rips off the hem of his undershirt and ties it around his arm for extra measures before putting his suit jacket back on.

“Saved me from taking it out myself, eh.”

Stepping over the corpse, Taeyong grabs the bottle and licks the thick liquid off of his knife before unlocking the dingy door, blue eyes raging with thirst for blood.

“Come out, come out, wherever you all are.”

Taeyong calls, impatient. He needs to find Taejun and replace Jaeseok’s head with his father’s before tending to a more pressing matter. He’s a little hurt that _his_ Jaehyun left him alone, breaking his pledge.

“My, my. Jung Jaehyun. You can never get rid of me _just. like. that_.”

A sudden sound of footsteps alerts him and Taeyong quickly conceals himself behind a pillar, subtly peeking to watch a man head to the opposite end of the floor. Sensing that no one else is going to be coming up, the redhead immediately trails the man. As he reaches closer, he hears soft whimpers. The voice is obviously owned by a woman. The first thing he thinks of is Uehara, that she’s probably kept alive for sexual services but the cries grow louder and Taeyong realizes it definitely doesn’t sound like her.

He stays behind and checks, only to see his mother bound to a chair behind flimsy, rusty bars. She’s squirming away from the man’s unsolicited caresses, some of her hair falling to the front of her face but Taeyong sees through them, following the tear tracks down her chin. Her blouse is torn down the middle and her skirt is thankfully intact. There’s an ugly bruise on the corner of her mouth ㅡ she must’ve tried to fight back and got hit.

“G-get away...” She whimpers as renewed tears trickle down her face. She’d gotten so thin since the last time Taeyong had seen her and it had been years. She helplessly cries as the man’s hand made its way down her chest, groping painfully. Taeyong watches with a hand already gripping the handle of his blade, stalks over until the sound of the rusty bars creaking open alerts the grisly man.

“Heㅡ“ Before the other can pull out a gun, Taeyong delivers a kick to his stomach and sends him grunting on the floor, smashing the bottle against his head. Blood trickles down from the open wound on the man’s forehead and Taeyong quickly unties his mother, regarding her without a word and utter indifference as she calls his name.

“Taeyong,”

“Shut up.” He hauls her upright and gestures for her to keep it down with a finger against his lips, tugging her by the hand as they make their way down the hall, warily looking out for an enemy.

“How many men are there?” He hears indistinct chatters.

She shakes her head, shuddering as she hugs herself when the feeling of dirty caresses on her skin still haunted her. “I don’t know...”

Taeyong rolls his eyes, switching to French. “ _Tu es tellement inutile.”_ He turns to her and yanks her forward, glaring. “When I tell you to run, you fucking run. You hear me? Run, don’t look back and save yourself.”

“Taeyong, pleaseㅡlisten to me.” She grasps his arm, sniffling as she holds back more tears. “I’m sorry forㅡ for all the things I never did for you, and all the things I wish I didn’t do.”

Taeyong stares into her old eyes, and even though he knows he’s the least capable of determining feelings, he knows she’s sincere – at the moment, at least. He probably needs to say something too, but the chatter grows louder and Taeyong looks away, standing in an attacking stance.

“It’s too late for that.”

The redhead pushes her back just as two men climb the stairs and spot him, yelling to call the others’ attention. Taeyong barely dodges the bullets and lunges himself against the two with a growl, impaling two knives on their chests, each buried straight to the heart. Their bodies fall down the staircase on a heap and Taeyong signals his mother to come down quick before they get cornered.

His body aches all over, the searing pain on his arm worsening from being jostled. Taeyong pulls her with him as they make their way to find the exit, only to be blocked by three more Dragonaire men.

“God fucking dammit, can’t you let me live? I killed one, you killed two. You guys are fucking greedy.” Taeyong grins, slowly approaching them with his hands in the air in an act of resignation. “See? Got no guns with me.”

A punch is thrown to the side of his face from out of nowhere, throwing him off guard. Taeyong quickly recovers and does a double roundhouse kick, throwing off two of their guns before instantly chopping down a man’s hand with the small folding cleaver secretly strapped under his shirt. The hand still gripping the gun rolls down the floor as he drives a mad kick against the man’s jaw, swiftly turning back to the other two and hurls the cleaver straight to one’s head, the crack of a skull reaching his ears and fueling his adrenaline before going straight to the last one, blocking punches using both of his arms, screaming in both pain and anger before pulling out another knife and plunging it down the man’s jugular. Taeyong drags the knife down, cutting through the flesh and bones of his chest before yanking out his knife and strapping it back, panting loudly.

Taeyong glances at his mother who’s covering her mouth in sheer terror. He picks up a gun and dismisses the way she flinched when he pulled at her wrist with his bloodied hand and drags her. They make a turn to the right wing of the floor and he stops before a room, checking through the slightly ajar door to see whoever is inside, inwardly pleased to see Kim Taejun there with one of his subordinates.

He faces his mother. “I need you to go and check that closet we passed by. Pretty sure they got explosives kept in there. Get as many as you can and come back here. Quick.” He watches her run in acquiescence before observing again. The two men still haven’t noticed anything and are positively in too deep with whatever conversation they have to hear the noise.

“Those idiots are probably practicing; you saw how shit they were at aiming, yeah? Shin’s having his fun with the redhead bastard upstairs. Chris just can’t get enough of that lady. Said there’s something _good_ about those thighs.”

She comes back with an armful of V40, and Taeyong quickly stuffs two in his pockets, leaving her three. “They’re this damn careless, huh.” Quickly scanning her appearance, Taeyong takes off his suit jacket and puts it around her, pulling the fronts close to cover her up. “Go.”

“But Taeㅡ“

“Run away. Run and don’t let me see you again.”

She remains on her spot, eyes glassy. Taeyong curses under his breath and cups her face before swooping in to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll look for you then. You sure know what to remove to use those V40s? Go.”

Taeyong tells her to find a safe exit, reminding her to also grab one of the guns of the men from upstairs and watches her disappear.

“Knock knock.” Taeyong comically announces his presence to the men in the room, brows raised in amusement as guns are quickly pointed at him. Taejun is seething, cocking his gun.

“You just can’t fucking die.”

The knife thrower shrugs, twisting the blade with its sharp end pointing down his palm. “I wanted you to do the torture, not your lousy ass slave. It was too easy stabbing down his mouth.” His blue eyes glance to the man next to Taejun. “The whore escaped. You might want to catch her before she calls for help.”

The man gets a nod from Taejun and leaves the room. But before he could walk past, Taeyong heaves the knife through the open window and hits the back of the man’s head, quickly evading Taejun’s shot. The bullet grazed his already injured arm and Taeyong shoots at him, accurately throwing off the gun.

“Shit!”

Taejun quickly crouches to reach for the weapon that skidded across the floor but Taeyong kicks it out his reach, bashing the rear of his gun down Taejun’s temple.

“Don’t move or I’ll break your neck.”

The Kingpin stills from his threat, fully knowing that Taeyong’s capable of doing exactly what he said. Taejun glares from his place on the floor, already dizzy from the impact of Taeyong’s blow on his head.

“You killed my son…”

The muzzle of the gun presses between the older man’s eyes. They both turn to the direction of the sound of a grenade going off, and the redhead smirks down at the man in his mercy.

“You got more men outside?”

Taejun’s nostrils flare in bottled anger. “Two to guard this warehouse.”

“Well they’re probably dead. My mother’s got good aim, I guess. Considering she once had Lee Namgyu wrapped around her finger.” Taeyong glowers, instilling fear on the Kingpin as he makes a show of subtly pulling the trigger. “You might have wiped out most of Red Phoenix; fooled my father into submission ㅡ I don’t know how you did it. How did you do it? How did you make him fall down to his knees?”

“Found his weakest point.”

Taeyong frowns in bafflement. “He was anything but a foo–“

“Threatened him that I would make you suffer worse than my son did and kill you as you beg for kindness.”

Taeyong tilts his head, racking his brain for some petulant retort. He ends up with none. The notion that his father might have cared for him better than he thought stirs an unpleasant emotion in him, something that he hadn’t felt before. Taeyong supposes it’s not a good thing – he hates thinking that Lee Namgyu might have seen more past his madness. He doesn’t need these unnecessary sentiments when his father’s already dead, stealing away from him the chance of a confrontation.  

He stands up, gun still pointed at Taejun. He picks up the discarded gun from the floor and keeps it, slowly walking backwards without taking his intense blue eyes from Dragonaire’s Kingpin.

“Get up, put your hands where I can see them and lead the way out. I’ll let you go when I confirm that you’re the only Dragonaire left in here.”

The older man follows without a fight. Taeyong scruffs him, glancing behind every now and then to check whether someone’s tailing. There’s none.

“It’s much too quiet. I think you’ve already eradicated what remained of my men. Those that I captured from Red Phoenix suddenly vanished.”

Taeyong jostles him, forcing him to walk faster. “I don’t give a damn if they’re alive or not. Those fuckers would have loved to see my downfall anyway. They have this,” He waves the gun in a comical fashion while digging for the right word to say, “This passive aggression towards me.  No balls to actually tell me to fuck off, though.”  

Taejun mumbles something and stops when they finally exit the warehouse. The sight of slabs of flesh and limbs littering the ground welcomes them, and their footsteps leave a series of squelching noises as they pad over pools of dusty blood.

Taeyong smirks – his mother did a good job.

It’s dark out and the chilly breeze of the wind makes Taeyong’s teeth chatter from both the cold and scorching heat radiating off of his wounds.

He pushes Taejun away.

“Don’t turn around.” Taeyong pulls out one of the V40s and removes its clip and pin, tossing it in the building. The ground shakes as it explodes, and a part of the warehouse collapses, creating a huge cloud of dust and pelting rocks.

“Just to be sure that no one’s coming out alive if ever you lied to me.” He hurls the second grenade and coughs through the onslaught of dirt. Stupefied, Taejun remains where he stands.

“Can I go now?”

Taeyong nears him, pressing against the Kingpin’s back. “You may...”

Kim Taejun makes the mistake of believing Lee Taeyong’s words, slowly lowers his hands and waits a few seconds, clearly shuddering before making a move to go.

“…not.”

Taeyong pulls out a knife from the hidden strap and curls his arm around the man’s head, yanking it back before slicing across his throat and burying the blade down to the hilt in his neck, listening to the familiar crunch of breaking bones as he forcefully tugs the head until it detaches from the body.

The headless body pathetically falls to the ground before a gun meets it, hitting the surface with a clatter. Taeyong turns the head so it faces him; Taejun’s wide open eyes and mouth agape in a silent scream being the trophy of his remarkable victory.

“Ah, that was tiring.”

Taeyong grabs a handful of the man’s hair and scans the fruit of his hard work before heading off to begin his next game.

He can’t wait any longer.

 

 

**EPILOGUE**

Doyoung slams his hands down the table, furious. “We have to dispose the vehicle, Johnny. Someone might recognize it!”

Johnny sighs, rubbing his temple. The dull start of a headache tells him that this is not the end of the argument. He’s already dreading it. This is why he hates arguing with Doyoung. The other can be too demanding at times. “There are a lot of vans like that, Doyoung. And I already replaced the plate. No one will know where we are ㅡ not the Dragonaire, at least.” He placates, hoping to give the other a bit of assurance.

The Gold card holder plops on his seat in resignation, ignoring Ten’s comforting pat. They’ve only been hiding for two days. They’re still hot in Dragonaire’s radar and they need to be incredibly cautious.

Red Phoenix had fallen. They need to find a way to contact Invictus for help and though highly unlikely, also try getting ahold of their acquaintances to understand their situation.

Jaehyun sits idly on a bench. They’ve broken through a vacant apartment. They stayed up for two days straight, paranoia sifting in their minds. They’re outnumbered as far as they know. They don’t know if there are other Red Phoenix members alive. They don’t know where to start without any phone or computer to message their connections. As much as he’s against it, Invictus is their greatest hope. He might be able to convince his father to help rebuild Red Phoenix.

Despite trying to think of the different problems in their hands, Jaehyun’s mind ends up at the same imagery for the past two days. He sincerely hopes Taeyong’s still alive. He didn’t mean to leave just like that and he blames himself for being powerless, for not being brave enough to take Taeyong away from Dragonaire.

_Did they torture him? Do what he did to Jaeseok before killing him? God, I hope not._

Loud knocks rap against the door, alerting them all. Jaehyun warily looks at it before telling Winwin to stay back, preventing the arsonist from answering the door.

Jaehyun grips the gun on his hip and slowly wraps a hand around the knob, mentally counting from 1 to 3 before wrenching the door open and aiming his gun at the intruder, eyes widening as he drinks in the sight of red hair, vaguely hearing the shock and surprise from the other men in the room.

“Taeyong…”

Lee Taeyong stands in front of him, his face and clothes dirtied with dried blood. His face has a few shallow cuts and fresh wounds are seen through the ripped parts of his undershirt. Jaehyun lowers his gun just as his eyes land on the decapitated head of Kim Taejun next to Taeyong’s foot.

He’s about to speak when warm, chapped lips capture his. Jaehyun reddens instantly, recalling that the others still don’t know what had happened between him and Taeyong back in the cabin.

The lips are gone too soon for his liking and Taeyong walks past him, carrying Taejun’s head.

Yuta blanches.

“Don’t give me that or I’ll fuck you up for leaving me there just because you fucking hate my guts.” Taeyong monotonously threatens, leaning against the table where Doyoung is sat, dropping the head next to his feet.

“How?” Jaehyun asks the only word he came up with despite the whirlwind of questions in his mind.

“Have you forgotten I hold no card since I can do all of your jobs combined – I could’ve done this from the start but you’re all so far up Namgyu’s ass to let me do things on my own. I killed most of their men before beheading Taejun. I’m sure you already have an idea how I possibly did all of that.”

“So you purposely let yourself get captured?” Yuta asks begrudgingly.

“There was no other way. He wouldn’t just kill me right on the spot ㅡ that man wanted to reenact what I did to his son.” Taeyong pulls out a laptop from the bag they hadn’t noticed he’s carrying and pushes it to Doyoung. “Do your job. I installed some of the contacts and records with the other organization I managed to retrieve from the undamaged computers in the HQ.”

Doyoung nails him a stern look. “That’s…very responsible of you.”

Taeyong scoffs, allowing Ten to check on his injuries with the first aid kit they retrieved from the van. “That’s expected from your Kingpin, Gold card.”

“Wait wait wait,” Jaehyun interrupts. “You, the Kingpin? First of all, you said you didn’t want it. Second…with your state of mind?”

“Then I guess you just have to tame me again… _just the way I like it.”_

“Um,” Winwin raises a hand, seemingly distracted. “Organization matters aside, you guys…you guys kissed.”

Jaehyun splutters, mentally beating up Winwin for putting the attention back to that. Johnny whistles annoyingly, brows wiggling.

“Oh, right.” Taeyong grins, rubbing his thumb across his lower lip as his blue eyes find Jaehyun’s flustered face. “I might have found something more addicting than candies and cigarettes.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! I hope you drop some comments and tell me your thoughts :)
> 
> Q: are taeil and risa alive? unknown.
> 
> Q: how did taeyong find them in the end? traced the location of the van. remember, 220!
> 
>  
> 
> [Second Part: What Lies Ahead: Downfall ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17349338)


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